The Angelrider
by agapimou34
Summary: Sam looks into the eyes of heaven, and sees how they can defeat Michael and bring peace back to the world. He and Gabriel are the key to saving humanity- will they make it together through all of the obstacles life just loves to throw at them? **I suck at summaries but here you go**
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I am a huge supernatural fan and have toyed with this idea in the past- please let me know what you think!**

Sam and Cas were officially screwed. Asmodeus had them both pinned by the necks, and Sam felt his insides start to twist. He watched helplessly as Gabriel, traumatized to the point of breakdown, was being dragged off by the Prince of Hell's minions. He thought of everything that had unfolded within the last few weeks. Jack, Mom, Dean… they were all going to come back and find out that he had died without even getting a chance to say goodbye. And Lucifer… the thought of going back to The Cage filled him with terror. That's when it happened.

A roar echoed through the halls of the bunker, unlike anything Sam had ever heard before. For a moment, he feared that another hell-sent creature had found them. But then Asmodeus fell to the ground, and the awful, painful twisting of his insides ceased. Inhaling hungrily for air, he looked up in amazement to see a sight he'd never forget.

It was Gabriel. Gabriel, but… _not_ Gabriel. A large, golden, scaly dragon stood on two taloned feet, like those of an eagle. It had two enormous, outstretched amber wings that easily covered the 30ft of space from wall to wall. Feathers the size of 2x4s covered them, and the shoulders of the beast were strong and spiked. Perhaps most striking, however, were it's eyes. There were no irises or pupils, rather, a window into the universe. Galaxies and stars and planets glowed where its eyes should have been, a living portal into the depths of space. It's fangs were long and razor sharp, glinting in the bluish glow of its grace. Two spiraled horns came up the sides of its head, and adorned it like a crown. It was a picture of beauty and danger, both frightening and lovely.

He was so enthralled that it took him a moment to register the sound of someone screaming. _Was that me_? He thought absently, before reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the creature. Asmodeus was on fire, his vessel crumpling like paper in a flame as Gabriel smote him. He turned and saw that it was Cas calling to him, watching him in horror.

"Sam, close your eyes!" He was yelling over the creature's roar, "Close your eyes NOW, Sam, he'll blind you!"

Sam stared at him in confusion momentarily, not understanding the words his friend was saying, before the noise suddenly stopped. Quiet enveloped the room, and Asmodeus' dead, burnt vessel was laying in ashes on the floor. Sam looked to see that the minions he'd brought with him had been vaporized. He also saw that the dragon was gone, and regular Gabriel was in its place, looking to be in one piece but disheveled.

Cas was staring at Sam with an open mouth, blue eyes wide as if the Winchester brother had grown three heads. "Sam…" He began, voice rough as he helped the other man stand up.

"You ok?" Sam swallowed, trying to contain his surprise and confusion at what had just happened.

"Sam… you're not blind," Cas said in astonishment, "you're alive."

The younger Winchester stared back at Castiel, not understanding. "Of course I am, thanks to Gabriel… what's going on? What just happened?" He demanded, looking to Gabriel who'd come back down to join them.

Gabriel simply looked at him with an unreadable expression, eyes deep and wide. Sam knew now what was really behind them. "You saw my warrior form." He said quietly.

"Your what?" Sam asked, frowning.

"An angel's warrior form is the way they appear in battle… It is only a step below from our true face. No human can look upon it without disintegrating, but you just did." Cas explained, still staring at him.

Sam shook his head, looking at Gabriel. "I don't get it," he said, "why can I see you but others can't?"

Gabriel and Castiel shared a knowing gaze, watching each other briefly before turning back to Sam. They knew, and although neither angel dared get their hopes up, they couldn't help but feel amazed at what had just happened. It was the closest thing to a miracle they'd seen since God left, and a new, ignited flame of hope began to surge within them.

"Call Dean. Tell him to get back here now." Cas instructed, handing the cell phone to Sam.

Sam wanted to ask a million questions. He wanted to know how Gabriel had transformed into that… that thing, why he was spared from seeing his warrior form, and what they knew that they were so blatantly hiding from him. He wanted to ask all of these things, but instead, the only words that left his mouth were, "Why, what's wrong?"

Gabriel's eyes showed signs of his old vibrancy returning to them. "Nothing's wrong. In fact, things may have just gotten a whole lot better."

* * *

"That's impossible, how are Sammy's eye sockets not two black holes right now?" Dean demanded, having just returned from Apocalypse World. At first he'd accused Gabriel of lying, still being wary of the former trickster after all the stunts he'd pulled on them. But when Cas had confirmed what happened, and when Dean saw the dead body of the last prince of Hell, he had no other choice but to believe.

Castiel looked to Rowena for help in delivering his explanation, not quite knowing how to tell the two brothers the possible reason for the seemingly impossible event.

"Don't you go givin' me that look, Cas, I'm no better than you at sweet talkin'." She muttered, turning back to reading a book she'd flicked out from the library shelves.

"No, no 'sweet-talking', just tell us the damn truth!" Sam exclaimed, frustrated, "What the hell is going on?"

Castiel sighed, glancing at Gabriel before looking back to Sam and Dean. "We… Can't be sure, but, we think that Sam may have been grace bonded to Gabriel." He said.

Sam's eyes widened at the words, and Dean simply sputtered in disbelief. "What are you talking about? Sam never consumed any of his grace, we never did anything-"

"You don't _have_ to do anything, it's not some spell or deal that bonds an angel with a human, it has to be an approved match." Castiel said tiredly, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Approved by who?" Dean asked the question they were all thinking, looking at the angel skeptically.

Castiel inhaled deeply before looking at them all. "God." He said, sending the room into stunned silence.

"Nice delivery, little bro." Gabriel smirked from the side, earning an annoyed glare from Castiel.

"G-God? As, as in _the_ god?" Sam stammered, shocked. It couldn't be true- no one had heard from Chuck in months.

Castiel bit his lip conflictingly, searching for the right words to explain. He'd spent years on earth, and still felt lost when it came to the art of conversation. "There is a legend in heaven about a human having once bonded with an angel." He began, "No one has ever witnessed it, so I cannot say if it's a certain truth. Apparently an early descendant of Enoch shared a grace bond with an angel, and was able to ride it into battle. With the bond, their powers were combined, making them almost unstoppable. When an angel bonds its grace to a human, it becomes tied to their lifeforce and vise versa. They are bound to die together, and escort each other to the afterlife where they are said to spend the rest of eternity riding in heaven and guarding its gates." Cas explained, watching their faces.

Sam was speechless, at a loss for words. He felt that he should be more upset than he was, but every time he looked at Gabriel, he couldn't help but see the same beauty he'd witnessed hours ago. The breathtaking _goodness_ of that face was reverberating through his mind, and he felt a strange sense of calmness that he hadn't experienced since Lucifer.

"Look, even if this was true, how the hell could this even happen? I thought God had disappeared! If he's gone, how could he have bonded Sam and Gabriel?" Dean protested, trying to wrap his head around everything that was being said.

"Dad has a way of surprising people," Gabriel murmured, "you never know what he can and can't do."

"Don't you boys see what's happening?" Rowena interrupted, looking to Dean and Sam, "This is your answer! This is how we can stop Lucifer and maybe even Michael. With Sam and Gabriel's power, we'll have more grace than we'll know what to do with!" She exclaimed. "You can get Jack and your mum back, and your little friends can save their topsy-turvy world."

Gabriel folded his arms, suddenly feeling light headed. He'd barely been able to tear his gaze away from Sam since he killed Asmodeus- his grace was restless, and a certain aura of energy seemed to flow through him, the likes of which he hadn't felt since his father made creation and blessed him as the messenger.

"Slow your roll there, red," Gabriel managed to interject, "we're not even sure that this even happened. It could be anything that saved Sammy's eyes from burning at the sight of my gorgeous bod." Dean shot a glare at the archangel. "And besides," Gabriel continued, "even if, somehow, it _was_ a grace bond, that's a life sentence." He looked to Sam, unable to read his gaze, "And when I say life, I mean _eternal._ No deals, no demons, no 'magical will power' from my innocent nephew, not even my brothers could bring us back. It's the final ride, and if one of us happens to get shivved, it's game over for both of us."

A heavy silence enveloped the room, and nobody spoke for a while until Dean finally spoke up. "C'mon, guys, tell me no one is even considering _considering_ this! Am I the only one seeing straight here?" He yelled, looking to his younger brother for backup.

Sam wanted to say something, something to comfort his older brother who'd been so cold and on edge as of late. Sam couldn't blame him- he had the world on his shoulders. They were, to say the least, trying times for everyone. But almost as if on instinct, he couldn't stop staring at Gabriel, who'd been watching him intently as well. It was… weird. Right. Like they'd known each other for a long, long time. Sam felt like he should be afraid, like he should be angry and frantic like Dean. He had every right to be. But he found himself feeling nothing but a strange drumming sensation in his chest, not quite comfortable but not unpleasant, either. He didn't even notice when they started panicking at his unresponsiveness. Gabriel and him had locked eyes, and the drumming sensation was only getting louder.

"Sam! Sammy, snap out of it!" Dean shouted, shaking his brother's shoulders roughly. He looked desperately to Castiel, who was also looking on in fear. "What's wrong with him? Why isn't he talking?" He demanded, and Cas only shook his head in confusion.

Sam could just barely hear the voices of everyone around them, Dean shouting and Rowena's muffled gasps. The words all faded away like ashes in the wind, however, when the drumming sensation stopped. The world was silent for a fraction of second, before blinding gold light filled Sam's vision, and suddenly, six pairs of wings sprouted from Gabriel's back, and Sam looked on in wonder.

They were like every color in the visible universe, only _more._ They were strong, feathered wings that stretched the enormity of the bunker, curling against themselves when they ran out of space in the room to fit. Sam's mouth hung open, unable to form any words, and it appeared that Gabriel felt the same way.

"You can see them, can't you?" The archangel stated more than asked, watching Sam closely.

Sam was only able to nod slightly, completely unaware that they were no longer in the bunker. The world seemed to have faded away, and they were suspended in a colorless void of nothingness. The words left Sam's mouth without his permission, and his voice felt foreign when he spoke them. "Blessed art thou amongst heaven, Gavri'el, to you I give my soul." He didn't even notice that somehow, he'd spoken in perfect Enochian. Intellectually, he knew he should be afraid. He should be freakin' terrified. But he'd never felt calmer.

"I am yours and you are mine." Gabriel said, voice devoid of its usual mirth. He stared at Sam, his hazel eyes filled with a sense of… contentment? Peace? It was such a multi faceted emotion that Sam couldn't describe it in the english language. It just… was.

A sudden gust of wind blew through wherever they were, ruffling Sam's hair while feeling cool and soft against his skin. The void blew away in the wind like dandelion seeds, and when he opened his eyes, Sam was back at the bunker, sitting in the same chair he'd been in before. Dean and Cas were crowded around him, Rowena fretting over Gabriel.

"Sam, look at me!" Dean barked, grasping firmly by the shoulders and shaking him slightly. Sam blinked and inhaled sharply, looking up at Dean and Castiel. The younger angel had a strange look in his eye, like he'd just seen something wasn't supposed to. Sam went to reassure them, went to tell Cas that everything was ok, but instead what came out of his mouth was, "Khastiy'el."

Cas's eyes widened, and his hands just barely trembled as he took a step back from Sam.

Dean, still confused, looked to his brother in concern. "What? Sammy, look at me, _are you ok?"_ He demanded.

Sam gulped and nodded, looking to his older brother. "Yeah, I'm… I'm fine."

Sighing in relief, Dean still held fast to his brother's shoulders, grounding him to the world. "What the hell happened?" He asked, searching Sam's eyes for an answer.

Sam looked briefly at Gabriel before turning back to Dean. "I am his. And he is mine." He answered.

A sudden wave of grace blew through the universe, and every angel in existence stopped what they were doing and marveled at the announcement.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everybody! Thanks so much for reading- I hope you enjoy this chapter- reviews are love! Everytime you review, Gabe gets a hug :).**

Jack was in the middle of helping secure supplies onto the bus, the sullen world around him preparing to leave, when he suddenly stopped.

"Jack?" Mary asked, concern plain on her face as she turned to him, "What's happened?" For a moment, she thought angels were coming and was about to prepare her gun, when Jack simply smiled at her.

"Something wonderful." He said, eyes filled with light.

* * *

"Cas, you gotta know some way to undo this." Dean ran his hands through his hair worriedly as they paced around the bunker. Sam and Gabriel had been bonded by grace- what was once a terrifying suspicion was now a confirmed reality. It became so when Sam came out of his little trance speaking Cas's Enochian name, shocking the angel to no end. Gabriel, despite being recovered, was back to barely speaking at all. He only watched Sam with a startling intensity that disturbed Dean to no end.

Castiel's brows furrowed and he shook his head. "There is no way that I know of. Only our father can make and unmake angel grace. Therefore, only our father can make and unmake the bond." He said gruffly.

"So, what, we're just gonna wait around until he decides to change his mind?" Dean exclaimed in frustration, slamming his hand against the table. "In case you haven't noticed, Mom and Jack are in danger, along with the entire universe as soon as the Other Michael comes through that rift! We already have a problem keeping tabs on each other as it is, now we have to make sure both Sam _and_ Gabriel stay alive? People are dropping like flies, Cas, and if we lose one of them, we lose both!"

Sam, who'd been watching his brother start to erupt like a volcano, decided it was time to intervene. "Look, Dean, neither one of us is going to go running off into a suicide mission, ok? Maybe we're just… Overthinking this." He tried to reason.

Dean gave him a look that Sam was well versed with. The, 'I-know-better-than-you-so-shut-up' look. An overprotective older brother tended to have eyes that didn't see and ears that didn't hear. "Yeah, Sammy, 'course not. It's not like we, uh, we don't have a juiced-up archangel and _satan_ on our asses! We're fine! No danger here." He threw his hands up in mock relief, shoulders still tense with anger and worry.

Rowena scoffed from the edge of the map table, tapping her chin lazily. "Honestly, Dean, I don't know why you're so negative all the time. You should be happy." She murmured.

"Happy?" Dean growled, not in the mood for her tricks.

"Yes," The witch said, "this way, we have enough power to stand a chance against your unhinged friend, and Samuel has finally found his _other half,"_ She smiled flirtatiously, causing Sam to roll his eyes and Dean to force himself from not unleashing a string of curse words.

"I'm not his _other half,_ " Sam shot back at her, "and if we're in that much trouble, it might not be a bad thing to have twice the power. I mean, we don't even know how this works yet. We might be able to take down Lucifer with this on our side."

"That is doubtful." Castiel interjected, "Lucifer, Michael, all the angels know that you are bonded now."

Sam's eyes widened at this. "W-what? That's impossible, we got the entire place warded!"

"You don't need to be nearby to know when an angel bonds its grace." Castiel replied, "It is a universal feeling… Almost like, a "public announcement" as you would say."

Dean could tell that he was fighting a losing battle, and even though he wanted to scream, fight, and demand they find a way to undo this, he knew they didn't have time. He couldn't afford to waste precious moments letting his anger out. Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ok… You guys stay here, make sure Gabriel gets back to himself to make enough grace so we can open the rift again. Cas and I will go look for Lucifer."

Sam's heart leapt to his throat at that, and he jumped up after his brother. He'd lost Dean so many times before, he didn't know if he could do it again. "Dean, wait! You can't just run out looking for him, he'll kill you!" He protested.

Dean grabbed his shotgun from the table, walking over to Cas so he could fly them away. "We need the extra grace as back up. If Gabriel can't get up to par in time, we can't wait. We need to get back to Jack and mom."

Sam was ready to point out all of the flaws in his older brother's plan. Before he could speak up, however, Rowena sauntered by and joined them.

"Don't lose your head, Samuel," She patted Sam on the shoulder as she passed him, "I'll make sure he stays out of trouble."  
Dean looked at her, frowning in confusion. "What, you're coming with us?" He asked.

Rowena smirked, folding her arms. "You boys will need help trapping the devil, and I know a spell or two… besides." Her face turned dark, "I have a bone to pick with him myself."

"Don't we all." Dean said grimly, eyes never leaving his little brother.

"Dean, wait-" Sam cried, but before he could utter another word, the three were gone with the sound of flapping wings.

Sam closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to ignore the hopelessness that was worming its way in through his head. Who am I kidding, I've been messed up since Lucifer, he thought bitterly to himself, why try to fix what's broken beyond repair. He knew what sealed the deal with his mental and emotional damage. It was looking upon Lucifer's face. Looking upon his _real, true_ face. He could never get that image out of his head. Even thinking about it made him want to be physically ill, and he had to concentrate on something else before the madness overtook him.

"I could help with that, you know." A sudden voice said from behind him.

Sam nearly jumped out of his seat and his heart stopped for two beats as he whirled around to see Gabriel standing behind him. "Son of a bitch! Don't do that," He gasped, trying to catch his breath, before registering what Gabriel had said. "Wait, help with what?"

Gabriel crossed his arms and leaned against one of the columns, honey golden hair falling in strands around his face. "Some people say that looking at an angel's true face can counteract the effects of looking at my brother." He said casually.

Sam's eyes widened. Not even caring that Gabriel had completely invaded his privacy by reading his mind, his thoughts were focused solely on what he said. Ever since The Cage, he'd been desperate to find a way to at least get rid of that horrible memory. Recently, however, he'd started to accept the fact that it was too late, that he'd be haunted by that indescribable horror for the rest of his life. But a small surge of hope at the possibility of being able to get over that reignited with in him. "Wait…" He started, "What are you saying?"

The archangel smiled at him with that grin that made him so much like the trickster he'd impostered. "I'm saying that laying eyes on my rockin' awesome face can make some people forget about Luci's ugly mug." He explained.

Sam swallowed nervously. "Could I do that?" He asked, "I mean, could I really look at your face without… you know… disintigrating?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I thought we went over this, Sammich, you literally _just saw me."_

"Yeah, but that was your… I dunno… dragon-y form. Can I actually do that? See you for… what you are?" His heart was thudding faster now, and felt his fingertips grow cold.

Gabriel shrugged. "They're not that much different. Besides, the big guy upstairs decided that you and I can work well together. You'll have to be able to see me eventually."

Sam looked at him apprehensively, knowing that if he was wrong, he'd have to feel his eyeballs melt into an ashy goo before his flesh flaked away like a burnt up marshmellow. But if he was right… If he was right, he might actually get to be freed from that dark, suffocating image that tormented him every night. He might get some of his life back.

"Then I'll do it." He said softly after a moment of silence, looking up to Gabriel, "Show me."

The archangel dropped his trickster facade and he looked at Sam seriously, and a flash of emotion crossed his eyes. Was that… _nervousness?_ But just as soon as it'd come, it was gone. "Are you sure you know what you're asking for?" He walked slowly towards Sam, "You might regret it."

Sam shook his head without hesitation, a sudden certainty mounting within him. "I'm sure." He said.

Gabriel looked at him for one last, long moment, before sighing and giving an almost imperceptible nod. For a moment, he contorted his arms in such a strange fashion that Sam almost thought he was seizing, and worry jumped into his throat as he began to move towards him.

What happened next, however, was something he'd never forget. Something that somehow was able to engrave itself into his very soul. A momentarily blinding light exploded into the room, and he blinked back for a moment, wondering for a split second if he'd been wrong, if he should close his eyes. But then the harshness faded, and the world around him was bathed in a warm light, a color that the english language didn't even have a word for. It was soothing and calming, between a golden and… purplish color? Sam couldn't tell. He didn't have anything to compare it to. A pool of pure grace flitted around his feet, swirling with that glowing blue light it was known to produce. And there, towering over Sam like a skyscraper, was what had to be Gabriel.

Sam didn't know whether to be terrified or rejoice at what he saw. It was… unlike anything on earth, that was for sure. It was humanoid in a way, but it wasn't. It had arms, but they were long and different, hanging down to mid calf. Or, where calves would be on a human. The limbs on this creature were a glowing menagerie of colors and patterns. They were sinewy, almost like sticks stuck in a rag doll. To Sam's amusement, however, the creature had five fingers and five toes, like he did. He would've laughed at the similarity if he wasn't so awestruck. The creature was wearing something, what looked like a tunic, but it wasn't. A shroud of mist, almost, dragged down around it's feet, clinging to the creature like a needy child would to its mother. It was sheer and flowing, like a living piece of fabric. The spindly hand held the familiar looking angel blade, and further up on the creature, six enormous wings stretched around Sam and out of his eyesight. They were gold, in every imaginable shade of gold, and dotted with stars and planets. Perhaps it's head was the most shocking. Heads, more like it. The creature seemed to have four different faces. An eagle-like animal's face was looking out of the side of it's head, a ram with horns was looking out of the _other side_ of it's head, and that of a lion was facing the back. The lion's mane was long, flowing down to the creature's oddly shaped, skeletal like feet. And front and center, facing Sam, was a simplified, almost-caricature like humanoid face. It had no nose, no eyebrows, no lips, but a long, thin mouth that was drawn in a straight line. It's eyes took up the majority of the space on this face, large, perfectly shaped circles that glowed with the light of blue grace.

Sam wanted to say something, say anything to express how he was feeling, but instead, all he managed to utter was; "Gabe!... You… You're a lion!"

The sound of Gabriel laughing was nothing like his human vessel's laugh. It was a thousand voices laughing at once. Men, women, children, all of varying ages and tones, united in a soft chuckle, the voice echoing around him as if it was coming from a thousand different places. It made the ground beneath his feet vibrate.

"Do you like me better this way?" A voice asked, and Sam had to choke down a cry of surprise when he heard it. It was _two_ voices in one. One of the voices was that of a little boy, and the other was deep and stalwart, like that of warrior. It would've normally been creepier beyond belief, but Sam couldn't help but love it.

"Y-Y-y-you… You're gorgeous!" Sam stuttered, unconsciously moving forward towards the creature.

Gabriel lowered his face, the huge head bending down to meet at Sam's level, giant eyes each the size of Sam himself. They blinked at him twice, and Sam noticed it's… eyelids… were just a bunch of galaxies. "Thanks, Sammy," The voices said, "I'm not one to deny a compliment."

Slowly and with shaking hands, Sam reached out and touched the face of his angel, right between his eyes. It felt like warm water beneath him, almost like a liquid despite the fact that it appeared fairly solid. And as soon as he made contact with that face, as soon as he touched the warmth that was Gabriel, he felt all memories of Lucifer disappear. It was conscious and unconscious. It was like soap washing away dirt- he felt the sadness and despair and disgust and every negative emotion that the ex-archangel had left him with disappear, leaving his body and vanishing.

Gabriel made a noise at Sam's contact, something between a groan and a squeak, and all the voices that made up his laughter seemed to gasp in surprise.

Pulling away with a gasp, Sam noticed a handprint where he'd touched, glowing a bright orange. "I-I'm so sorry!" Sam exclaimed hurriedly, "Did I hurt you?"

The handprint glowed brighter for a moment before disappearing into the depths of Gabriel's face, almost like it was being absorbed into his skin… Did he even have skin?

Sam imagined that if the creature could've, it would've shaken its head. "No," He said, "it actually feels… really nice."

Sam swallowed briefly, before laying his palm back on the face once more. "Gabriel… Have you ever grieved Lucifer?" The question left his mouth before he could stop it. _Where the hell did that come from?_ He thought, surprised at his own inner workings.

Gabriel's mouth twitched downwards slight, the line drooping at the sides. "Yes." He answered honestly, "Every day… How do you know?"

Sam licked his lips rubbing his palm against Gabriel's face subconsciously. "I… I don't know how to describe it. It's like I can… feel your memories, almost. And most of the really early ones are with him, before he fell, I think."

Gabriel was silent, but Sam's heart hurt when he saw the top set of wings droop slightly.

"He was your favorite, wasn't he?" Sam whispered lowly, "You two did everything together, didn't you?" Memories that weren't his own flashed before his eyes, and like watching a movie, he saw that most of them were with Lucifer. They were playing, flying, laughing… It was all joy that emanated like steam from those memories. Gabriel laughed, but it was a sad laugh. Sam could tell because some of the laughing voices were crying instead.

"Everyone loved him. He was the most beloved angel in heaven. Everyone wanted to be like him… Our old man favored him the most, and everyone agreed that he should. That was how admired he was." Gabriel said wistfully, as if he was lost in one of the memories. But there was a layer of indescribably sadness cloaked over them, and Sam suddenly wanted nothing else in the world but to peel it away and make sure the creature only ever felt good things. "We were like you and Dean." Gabriel admitted softly, and the voices in the background made noises of upset, and some of the female voices were weeping.

Sam frowned sadly, and, although he knew he shouldn't, he used his other hand to slowly, ever so slowly, reach out and stroke the long, bone-like finger of the angel's right hand. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry you lost him." He said genuinely. "And I'm sorry no one ever told you they were sorry."

He didn't see, but he felt the other large hand move in strange, slow increments to envelope his entire body, cupping his cheek with the six foot long thumb. The giant palm pushed him closer to the creature's face, and without thinking about it, Sam reached over and hugged the creature's mask-like, humanoid face. It felt like pressing his body against a warm ocean, but he didn't need to come up for breath.

Sam closed his eyes as he leaned into the embrace, and suddenly, within a fraction of a second, he felt the body beneath him shrink. The hands became flesh like again and the face was normal sized and buried in his chest. Now _he_ was taller than Gabriel, and he knew he'd retreated back to his vessel.

He opened his eyes and they were standing in the bunker again, the warm light gone. Sam was holding Gabriel against his chest, and he reluctantly unwrapped his arms from the angel. Gabriel looked up at him, and surprisingly, there were no tears in his eyes. He was… happy.

"What do you think?" He asked jokingly, "Am I taller than you or what?"

Sam could only laugh. Despite the fact that the apocalypse was on their heels and the weight of the world was on their shoulders. He laughed and laughed, and felt better than he had in years. Maybe this whole grace thing wouldn't be such a bad idea after all...


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everybody! So this chapter is a bit of a filler, but it's necessary for the progression of the story. Please let me know what you think! Reviews are loved and read!**

Sam and Gabriel spent the rest of their time waiting for Dean, Cas, and Rowena to return with Lucifer in the library. Gabriel had his feet up on the table and was flipping through a book about angels, scoffing periodically at the information he'd come across.

"I gotta say, Sam, I don't think the men of letters ever met a real angel." He muttered, fingering a page of the book lightly in amusement.

Sam didn't respond and took a swig of beer he'd opened from the fridge. He tapped the table nervously and his eyes kept wandering to the door, waiting, watching. Although Gabriel had freed him from the constant terrorizing of Lucifer's face, Sam would never forget how deep he fell into depression after encountering the devil. Something terrible always came with Lucifer, and even now, when he knew Cas and Rowena were more than capable of handling him in his weakened state, Sam couldn't help but feel his gut churn with worry.

"Hello? Earth to Samsquatch." Gabriel intoned.

Sam huffed a laugh at the nickname, leaning back in his chair. "What?" He asked distractedly.

Gabriel frowned. "I thought I cured you- can you still see Lucifer's face?" He asked in concern.

Sam shook his head, eyes downcast. "No, I… I can't see him anymore." He murmured truthfully.

"Then why the sad martyr look?" Gabriel wondered aloud, watching the hunter's expression carefully. Since he'd been bonded with Sam, he was able to feel the changing wavelengths of his soul. The one he was currently picking up on was restless and nervous, almost panicky.

Sam turned to the former trickster god, tilting his head in a questioning manner. "Do you honestly think we'll have enough power to bring them down? Lucifer, Michael? Do you _really_ see any scenario here where we win?" He asked.

Gabriel pursed his lips, hands folded on the table in thought. "I don't know," He said, not looking at Sam, but staring straight ahead, "I really don't… All I know is that my father doesn't do things without reason. We're bound to accomplish _something."_

Sam chuckled, but he couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. Chuck had been gone for a while now, disappeared from heaven. He'd heard all the explanations, all the seeming 'excuses' he could think of. Maybe He needed to step away, maybe things would sort themselves out. But now, all Sam could feel was abandonment. He'd kept the faith in the beginning, when he and Dean had actually met and talked with Chuck. But ever since then, it was one bad thing after another. And his faith was starting to die. "Yeah," Sam scoffed, "I'm sure he's _real_ concerned about us."

The archangel was still for a moment, and Sam couldn't explain it, but he could _feel_ Gabriel's sorrow. It was strange, like a tin can telephone tied together with a string, the vibrations crossing from one to the other.

"I've been around for a long, long time, Sammich." Gabriel said wistfully, eyes far off and distant. "I've watched a lot of stuff go down. You'd think I'd learn a thing or two, being around for millenia on end… And I haven't. I always find the things I don't know outnumber the things I do by, like, a million." He said flippantly, drawing a small smile out of Sam, "There've been times where I was _so sure_ I was right, and it turned out that I couldn't be more wrong. But there's one thing I've always been sure of that's never changed. No matter what, it's always stayed the same. My father does not give up on his children."  
Sam looked up at this, staring at the archangel.

"He may discipline them, when he has to," Gabriel continued before looking back at Sam, "but he _never_ gives up on them. Even now, he refuses to give up on Lucifer. After everything he's done, after all this time… We can still feel him just… wanting his son to come back."

There was a long pause, both of them deep in thought. "You don't think he's gone?" Sam broke the silence, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. He didn't dare hope for anything. Not after losing Dean so many times.

Gabriel smiled sadly at him, whiskey brown eyes deep and thoughtful. "Never did, never will." He murmured.

Before Sam could even begin to reply, there was a flapping of wings and suddenly, Dean, Cas, and Rowena were back in the war room. Sam jumped to his feet, immediately running over to them. His eyes scanned his older brother for injuries on instinct, and finding none, he let himself breathe a sigh of relief.

"Heya, Sam- I hear you and Gabe are an item now." A sarcastic voice drawled out, and Sam froze. Cas and Rowena parted to reveal a slightly disheveled looking Lucifer, his hands bound behind his back. That smug smirk was plastered on his face, and his eyes looked to Gabriel, amused. "What up, bro? Dad finally decide it was high time for you to settle down, find 'the one'?"

"Just call us batman and robin," Gabriel grinned toothily at the devil, "we have that cool partners in crime thing going. Too bad it's not the same with you and your son."

Lucifer's smirk momentarily faltered, and his eyes darkened, an icy movement that made Sam suppress a shudder. Dean roughly shoved the ex-archangel down on a chair, hands still bound behind his back. "You're gonna help us." He snapped, and Cas withdrew an angel blade from his coat.

"What, you're gonna kill me? Not very original, Dean, I gotta say." Lucifer shook his head in mock disapproval.

"No," Sam said venomously, watching from the side as Castiel cut the vessel's neck, revealing the glowing blue grace, "we're gonna drain you. You're going to open the rift and keep it open. Then we'll kill you."

Lucifer laughed with that manic tinge, despite the grace that was steadily flowing out of him. "Man, I gotta say, pop couldn't have picked a better match, Sammy," He rasped, watching Gabriel out of the corner of his eye, "you and my brother both have the tendency to delusions of grandeur. I should caution you, though, acting more powerful than you are never ends well for you." His sunken, darkened eyes moved to the archangel, watching him with an expression that Sam couldn't interpret. "Just ask Gabriel. He knows all about that."

Sam knew he was referring to the archangel's time with Asmodeus, and the hunter felt Gabriel's grace flinch at the mention of the former prince of hell. Even though the bastard was dead, the scars of the horrible things he'd put Gabriel through would linger for a long time. Sam knew from personal experience, and considering the mess the angel was in when he arrived with Ketch, it would take a while before the archangel was back to his old self again.

"Shut up," Dean snapped at Lucifer and shoved him roughly, grabbing his bag and shotgun as they prepared to leave. He looked to Rowena as she recited the spell, the orange glow of the rift crackling like tiny sparks. "Feel free to gag the son of a bitch." He told her.

"With pleasure," the witch murmured, watching Lucifer with fiery eyes.

"C'mon Sam, let's go." Dean said, stepping towards the rift.

Sam loaded his gun and prepared to leave, but hesitated before he could say anything. He could feel Gabriel's grace, and it was _nowhere near_ ready to fight. It was a strange sensation, something he couldn't easily explain. It was like being able to sense a storm coming- there were factors that gave you indications, but you couldn't actually see it. The fact that Gabriel's grace was so delicate made him on edge, and he suddenly felt the reluctance to go. If something decided to attack them, Gabriel couldn't hold it off for very long.

"Dude, c'mon, we don't have much time." Dean exclaimed, slightly annoyed.

Sam looked at his brother and swallowed nervously. "I… I don't know. Gabe isn't strong enough, can't we wait another day?" He asked, knowing how ridiculous he sounded. He couldn't help but worry about the archangel, and strangely enough, it had nothing to do with the fact that his life was tied to his own. _What the hell is going on with me?_ He thought to himself, thinking back on all the times Gabriel messed with him and Dean. He had every right to be pissed off at the archangel, but every time he tried, all he could see were those beautiful golden wings and those enormous eyes full of stars. He couldn't feel animosity towards it.

Dean looked at his brother like he'd grown three heads. "Another day?!" He exclaimed, "Jack and Mom are in there, trying to hold whatever's left of the resistance together! If we don't get them out of there soon, they'll die!"  
Gabriel looked at Sam perplexedly, marveling at the hunter's concern for him. "It's nothing worth staying behind for, I'll be fine." He said resolutely.

Lucifer laughed suddenly, loud and grating like he used to when he taunted Sam in Hell. The four men looked at him, and he looked straight at Sam and Gabriel. "You two have no idea what you're capable of, do you?" He asked amusedly, like he was talking about small children learning to count. He turned to Gabriel, raising an eyebrow. "Really, bro? You honestly didn't think about what you and our favorite Sammy here could take down together?"

A look of confusion passed over Gabriel's features momentarily, before he glared daggers at his older brother. "Don't pretend to know things, Luci, you don't wear it well." He said tightly, before stepping through the rift with a reluctant Sam, Dean, and Cas.

Lucifer scoffed, looking at Rowena, who was steadily ignoring him. "Can you believe those two?" He tsked in dismay, "Talk about underestimation."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everybody! Thank you so much for following this story. This chapter contains a lot of fluff, but if you look closely, you'll see some foreshadowing for the next chapters. Please review and hit that follow button!**

The other world was cold, dark, and ultimately, dead. The trees, the leaves, everything looked to be devoid of life. Sam wasn't one to be surprised easily- he _was_ a hunter, after all, and in he and his brother's line of work, anything goes. But alternate universes, well, that's a whole new level of weird.

They arrived rather clumsily, toppling out of the portal more than landing. Dean stood up with a groan, rubbing the back of his head achingly. Sam was sure their rough arrival did nothing to help the hangover that was still lingering for Dean after last night- he knew that sometimes when the stress of things got to be too much, his brother would down beer after beer before heading to bed. It had gotten better since Cas returned, though.

"Geez, Cas, couldn't you have made it a little smoother?" Dean breathed, dusting himself off and making sure his gun was in tact.

Castiel looked at him, brows furrowed in confusion. "I do not understand," he said in his gravelly voice, "I have no control over the workings of inter-dimensional-"

"Yeah, yeah, point is, it sucked," Dean cut him off, "now, where do we start to find Mom and Jack?"

Sam looked at his brother in disbelief. He'd just transported them to an entirely different world, and he had no idea where to even start looking for their family? They were currently surrounded by trees in the middle of forest, and had absolutely no clue which direction to even start in. Sam had long accepted that the inner workings of his older brother's mind were something he'd never understand, but this was different.

Trying to calm himself down before he said something he'd regret, Sam briefly tried closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. But what happened when he did was anything but what he expected. He felt that strange drumming sensation again, the same one he'd felt before witnessing Gabriel's wings. Before he could alert the others, however, he was frozen in place. And as soon as his eyes slid shut, he could instantly _see everything._ It was almost the same experience he'd had when Jack showed him and Dean what the dreamwalker let him see. Sam was gazing upon the barren land from a bird's eye view, miles and miles of earth before him. His eyes tracked the path from their current location, dashing and ducking at a rapid pace over logs and rocks and foliage, view after view coming into his line of sight. The next thing he knew, he was looking at a small settlement where he finally recognized Jack and their mother. _How is this possible?_ He thought to himself, trying to quell the growing panic.

The vision ended when he opened his eyes, gasping for breath. Dean, Cas, and Gabriel all looked to him in a mix of worry and confusion. Sam was about to attempt to explain what he'd just seen, but instead, the next words that left his mouth were; "15 miles northeast, take a left at river and across the first hill on the mountainside."

Dean knew he looked like some dumbfounded goldfish, but he couldn't stop his mouth from opening and closing in disbelief. "Sammy, how…" was all he managed.

"I… I don't know, it was like a vision, but… not…." Sam tried to explain, before he was able to finally put two and two together in his head. He looked at Gabriel in shock, eyes wide. "Wait a minute, is that… Is that how you guys see?" He asked.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Castiel tilted his head to the left as he often did when he was puzzled.

"Angels, I mean," Sam amended, "Is that… Is that how you see the world? You know, far off places? Like, sensing depth and distance but not touch? And everything's kind of… chrome colored?"

Gabriel stared at Sam in awe, realizing that the human was able to tune into so-called 'angel radio' and sense locations on the celestial plane. He knew it was their grace bond, but he was still trying to wrap his head around what exactly that meant. How could Sam be able to access the celestial plane without using some of his grace? _Surely I'd be able to feel it_ , Gabriel thought dismally, _I'm weaker than I've ever been after escaping._

"That is the closest you'll be able to come in describing it in human terms, yes." Castiel muttered, deep in thought.

"Wait, Sam can see the path ahead?" Dean asked, turning to his little brother, "What else can you do?"

Sam licked his lips in confusion, looking to Gabriel briefly. "I don't know," he answered honestly, "All I did was think about it, and it happened."

Gabriel inched closer to Sam subconsciously, resting a comforting hand on his substantially taller shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it," he said, "after a while, it'll become second nature. Like having permanent GPS in your brain."

Dean eyed the archangel warily, skepticism and distrust clear in his gaze. "Does this have anything to do with what you did to him?" He demanded, voice tight.

Gabriel frowned at him and folded his arms. " _I_ didn't do anything to him," he countered, "I have no part in any of this. If Sammy here starts seeing things, it's not my doing. I can barely teleport."

Sam could tell that Dean was about to launch into an argument on how he couldn't trust Gabriel, how the archangel expected them to believe a word he was saying after ditching them in TV land and causing Dean to die a thousand times. But after helping Gabriel get back on his feet after Asmodeus, Sam really didn't want the angel to have to deal with anything else. So, he intervened before anything could come of it.

"Dean, let's just go." He murmured, giving his older brother a pleading look before heading off in the direction he saw in his vision. Despite the eerie quiet that surrounded them, Sam couldn't help the feeling that someone, or _something,_ was watching them. He knew Cas and Gabe had their angel blades out and ready, and he and Dean had their guns, but he just couldn't stop himself from looking over his shoulder every five seconds. And something nagging in the corner of his mind told him that his protectiveness over Gabriel wasn't just because of sympathizing with the tortures of Hell. Ever since Sam had been bonded to him, he'd had this annoying urge to check and make sure that the archangel was safe at all times. _This is ridiculous,_ Sam thought to himself as they walked, _the guy is almost 20 stories tall, damn it, he's an_ archangel. _There's nothing you can do for him that he can't do for himself a thousand times over._ But Sam knew that wasn't true. He'd been the one to cut the stitches from his lips when Gabriel returned with Ketch, he'd watched how weak and broken the archangel had been. Even if he was snapped out of his limbo state, he'd still be vulnerable for a long, long time. And that scared the hell out of Sam.

Desperate to get his mind off of the disturbing thoughts, Sam searched frantically for something to distract himself with. What he ended up saying, however, was _not_ what he intended. "Hey, Cas, do all angels have five fingers and toes?" He blurted out.

Gabriel laughed amusedly, unable to help himself as he smiled at the innocence of Sam's question.

Castiel raised an eyebrow at his brother and Dean just looked at him like he'd gone off the deep end. "What are you referring to?" He questioned.

"Your true form," Sam said. _Well, I'm in it now, might as well ask while I'm here._ "Gabe had five fingers and five toes… or, at least, that's what they looked like. Is it like that for everyone?"

Gabriel was still chuckling as Castiel searched for an answer, cocking his head slightly as he faced the hunter. "You saw Gabriel's true form?" He asked.

Sam nodded, watching him carefully. "Yeah- so, what about it? Do you guys all kind of… look like that?"

Dean was asking Gabriel for an explanation as he filled the hunter in on what had happened. Castiel pondered the question for a moment before finally answering. "Angels are made in the image of god, though less so than humans." Cas said, "It would make sense that we shared some similarities in terms of appearances, but our… appendages… are not composed of muscle and bone."

"I know, the exterior is energy and the interior is grace, light, and stardust from the residue of creation." Sam said without thinking, remembering in detail what Gabriel felt and looked like. He couldn't help but smile whenever the image came to mind- it was something, as cliche as it sounds, so beautiful that he barely kept from getting hysterical when he saw it. He watched as he surprised the angel yet again, Cas opening his mouth to compose a reply before Dean interjected.

"Wait, hold up… Cas, you guys have _toes?"_ He asked, barely containing his laughter.

"And four heads," Sam added, before taking into consideration what he remembered. "Actually, just one head. But four faces. I don't know what yours are, Cas, but Gabe is a lion, a human, an eagle, and I _think_ a ram?" Sam's tone took on a questioning hint.

"Close, kiddo, buffalo." Gabriel supplied, marching side by side between him and Castiel.

Dean was staring at the three with wide, confused eyes and a sideways smile on his face. "Sam, man, you sure you weren't just tripping instead?" He asked half jokingly, half serious. The words his brother were speaking made less sense to him than any foreign language he'd ever heard.

Sam rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Hey, if you don't believe me, ask your own angel." He retorted, and Gabriel couldn't help the small sprout of pride he felt in his chest, Sam's implication being that _he_ was the younger winchester's angel.

Dean couldn't help himself. He looked to Castiel questioningly, eyebrow raised, before Cas bowed his head as if he was embarrassed. "It is true. Our father created us so we had enough faces to watch all facets of the universe." He admitted, although Sam wasn't sure why he sounded so ashamed. If he looked anything remotely like Gabe, than he was easily one of the most beautiful creatures in the entire universe.

Dean gaped, ignoring Sam as he voiced the words, 'i told ya so'. "What, Cas, so you're a sheep, too?" He couldn't believe he was asking this, but he had to know. He remembered when he first met Cas all those years ago at the gas station, and when he questioned his vessel, Cas had simply told him that it was too 'mighty' for him to comprehend.

"Buffalo!" Gabriel corrected absently, earning a smirk from Sam.

Castiel looked at his feet, and if Sam didn't know better, he'd say the angel blushed a few shades of red. "I… I believe I am a zebra." He said, as if he was confessing something extremely intimate. _Wait, were trueforms intimate?_ Sam thought absently, never really taking that factor into consideration.

Despite the bleak situation they were facing, Dean's loud laughter echoed through the forest, unable to help himself. Cas, Angel of the Lord, had a _zebra_ face? There was no way he could not find amusement in that.


	5. Chapter 5

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The walk had been going surprisingly smoothly for the last 10 miles. The surrounding forest was quiet, and having only 5 more miles left to go, Sam almost made the mistake of believing that they were going to be fine and get there without a hitch. _Almost._ Just as Winchester luck would have it, however, they were struck by a group of rogue vampires before they could claim that things went off uneventfully.

It started off as a strange, unpleasant buzzing that began in his fingertips. About 10 minutes before they happened upon the monsters, Sam knew something was wrong. At first he thought it was just his own paranoia, flaring up to bother him like it always did. But then he realized that this was different. This was… real. He stopped, looking over his shoulder, hoping to alleviate the sensation of being watched. He knew he should have said something. Looking back on it now, he knew he could've prevented the entire battle if he'd just trusted his grace bond and said something. But he kept his mouth shut, pegging it as one of his many insecurities that he didn't want to annoy Dean with.

That was when it happened.

The creatures lunged at them from the trees, going from silent to roaring in a fraction of a second. The next moments that passed happened like they were in slow motion, like a flip-book moving before Sam's eyes. He watched as Dean and Cas drew their weapons, taking out as many as they could while he stood there, frozen in place. He doesn't even remember shouting Gabriel's name aloud, even though Dean said he did. No, he never spoke a word. It all happened in… thoughts, more of an idea than physically audible words.

"Gavri'el, I need you," His voice echoed, bouncing within the walls of his own mind. It sounded like what one would hear if they stood on the edge of a canyon and shouted with all their might. His words quickly mixed together with Gabriel's true form voice, that little boy/warrior mix, crying out more than saying; "Samu'el, I need you.". The two voices got louder and louder, drowning out the roaring fight around them. Sam's mind let go of reality, and something of inhuman power burst forth within him before his eyes snapped open, glowing blue with crackling grace. "Shift." He whispered, and without hesitating for even a millisecond, Gabriel immediately became his dragon again.

His impossibly long, golden wings beat ferociously against the air, that _thwumping_ noise almost deafening. The long flight feathers exuded a dominant gold glow, and his taloned claws shook the ground. Sam didn't bother to watch as Dean and Cas stared up at him with open mouths. He didn't remember climbing up onto Gabriel's back, but he remembers the sensation. The creatures scaly skin should've been rough and unforgiving against his legs, but instead it felt warm and smooth, like freshly dried sheets. Gripping the two glowing horns that protruded from the dragon/bird's head, he lifted himself up just enough to see the hoard of vampires screeching at them, going after Dean and Cas. Protectiveness grabbed hold of him like an iron fist, and, looking to the vampires, he leaned down and whispered to Gabriel, "kill."

It was like a scene out of a Stephen king book, Sam couldn't help but note. In a split second, the dragons mouth opened impossibly wide, revealing rows upon rows of glittering, sharp teeth. The teeth themselves were each the size of Sam's head, more like saber-tooth fangs than anything else Sam had ever seen before. And then, like water bursting through the hull of a ship, flames of pure grace erupted from his mouth. They burnt and disintegrated every vampire in sight, the heat and pure energy of the angelic light causing the air around them to ripple, almost like what Sam remembers seeing over the surface of highways on a hot summer day. The monsters howled in agony before turning to dust, their dark, putrid forms unable to withstand the light of an archangel. In less than a minute, the entire hoard was reduced to ashes, nothing left of them but small flames of residual grace that burned blue on the forest floor. The earth itself was stained with the charred sillouhuettes of where the vampires used to be, serving as a sort of morbid reminder to any other supernatural being that dared cross their path. Gabriel roared loudly and beat his wings one last time, the wind created from his feathers blowing some of the ashes away. Sam felt the sound vibrations of his angel's roar surge beneath the skin he was mounted on, shaking the frame of the dragon.

Trying to catch his breath and feeling suddenly drained, he slid down the dragons shoulder so he stood on the earth once more. Sam swallowed hard, allowing the feeling of energy to leave his body like raindrops rolling off the hood of a car. Still in disbelief at what he, what _they_ had done, he turned around to check on Dean and Castiel.

His brother and the angel lay knocked on their backs, sufficiently out of breath as they stared at Sam with shocked, wide eyes. Breathing deeply, Sam looked to Dean in concern. "You guys ok? Did any of them bite you?" He asked, hoping the answer was no. The last thing they needed was to stop and search for ingredients for an antidote to vampire blood.

Dean shook his head absently, continuing to stare at Sam while he got to his feet. The thought of what could happen when someone witnessed an angels warrior form jumped to the forefront of Sam's mind, and he peered at Dean in worry. "Wait, Dean, how… how can you still see?" He asked.

"Cas covered my eyes," he replied dazedly, blinking rapidly as if to check that it was true, "But I saw… Sam, for a second, I saw just a little- is he… did you…?"

Sam turned around to check on the creature again, but the dragon was gone, ordinary Gabriel standing before him instead. He too looked just as surprised as the rest of them, staring at Sam like he'd just created the universe.

"Ok, I'll be the one to ask," Dean broke the silence with a slightly quavering voice, looking at his brother and Gabriel, "What the hell just happened?

Castiel shook his head in amazement, blue eyes light. "The legends are true," he said in his monotonous tone, "Gabriel's strength increases with Sam and vice versa."

Dean turned to stare at Sam, who was watching his own hands like they were on fire. "Sammy, you just… there were, like, 50 of 'em, and you… you took them out in under a minute." He said in disbelief. Dean knelt down beside the remains of the vampires, piles of dirt and ash next to small, dying flames of grace. Fingers grazed the ashes lightly, as if needing touch to affirm that what he thought happened actually did.

" _We,_ " Gabriel said from behind Sam, walking over to face Dean, " _we_ took them out. I believe that could be considered a team effort."

Sam looked at his angel in confusion. "Gabe, did you know this could happen?" He asked, not batting an eye at the nickname he subconsciously used.

Gabriel shook his head, brows furrowed in deep thought. "No," he said lowly, "no, I didn't. That shouldn't have even been _almost_ possible, I'm still low on grace!"

"Not with Sam, you're not," Dean interjected, standing up as the pieces finally came together, "you work off each other… that's why Sammy could see the route ahead, and that's why you could ice those bastards. Sam _is_ your grace."

Sam tried to close his jaw, but he couldn't help it. He had access to the _power of an archangel_ , and he himself was said archangels power. _That's why I can see Gabriel_ , he thought absently to himself, _I'm a part of him. And he's a part of me._ It sounded like a quote out of a chick flick, but it couldn't be more true. He hated even thinking the thought, but the idea wouldn't stop rolling over in his brain. _Maybe Lucifer was right… maybe we were underestimating our power._ He briefly thought back to what Rowena had said, about the two of them possibly being enough to take out Michael. He wanted to believe so badly that could be true, wanted to believe that he and Gabriel would be enough. But fear and doubt clawed at him like a hellhounds paws, keeping him from voicing the thought.

"We have to tell Mom and jack about this," Dean said abruptly, as if reading his brother's mind. Gabriel's jaw worked up in down, and his expression was conflicted. Dean turned so that he was looking at Sam, "you and Gabriel, you can drive Michael back."

Sam's eyes widened at the idea of taking on someone as powerful as Michael, let alone the Other Michael, who was supposedly even worse than the one they knew. He glanced briefly at Gabriel, who appeared to be thinking the same thing.

"No," Sam started, trying to keep the trembling from his voice, "no, Dean, it would never work. We need to stick to the original plan, grab as many people as we can, and leave Michael here."

"I agree with Sasquatch over here," Gabriel said jokingly, garnering a raised eyebrow from Dean at the odd nickname, "I know we just kicked some serious ass, but those were vampires. Little marionettes, puppets compared to the _puppetmaster._ I'm still not myself, going up against Michael now would be suicide."

They were all silent for a moment, deep in thought. The new option weighed on them like a brick, despite the fact that it might be an answer to their problems. _Problems,_ Sam thought in bitter amusement to himself, _we never solve them, just switch out one set for a different one._

" _Couldn't agree more, kiddo,"_ a voice rang out in his head, so clear that he momentarily believed it was spoken out loud. He whirled around to look at Gabriel, eyes skeptical.

 _Gabe,_ he thought, _is that… are you… ?_

" _Sorry- does it weird you out to talk like this? Cas hates it when I get in his head."_ Gabriel's mind voice murmured, tone apologetic. Sam worked his jaw, wanting to reply, but before he could get the chance Cas spoke up.

"Dean is right," he said decidedly.

"Wait, what?" Sam asked, frowning at Cas, "Are you serious?"

Castiel sighed deeply, folding his arms like he always did when he was unsure of himself. "I do not like the idea of it, but you and Gabriel have enough strength to kill him. You won't do it alone, of course, all of us will help." He tried to assure.

Gabriel shook his head stubbornly, and he cast a brief glance at Sam with a look of… concern? "I'm all for getting rid of my dick brother, but why put ourselves at an unnecessary risk?" He asked, "Sam's right, we seal him off and leave him to rot in bizarro land."

Dean scoffed, tilting his head slightly. "Since when do things just stay put?" He asked mirthlessly, "Sealing him here was our only option. But are you seriously gonna tell me that I'm the only one who believes that douche won't find another way, _some way_ to come back to our world?"

Sam opened his mouth to reply, but was struck silent at the realization that Dean was right. Things always come back to them in the end. He felt like he should've known that from experience, but a part of him wanted to believe that leaving Michael here would be the end of it. It wouldn't, though. He knew that. Things like Michael only stopped when you blew out the candle, when you put a stop to them once and for all… when you killed them. His stomach churned at the thought of going up against Michael, even though he knew it would ensure the safety of his family, and suddenly, he felt very, _very_ selfish. _Look at me,_ he thought pathetically, _I have a chance to save the world, and I'm second guessing it because I'm afraid… Maybe I deserve to go back to hell, after all._

" _You'll never go back to Hell, Sammy,"_ Gabriel's voice said, causing Sam to look up in surprise, " _I'll make sure of it."_

He was still staring at Gabriel when Dean snapped him out of his trance, announcing that they'd talk it over when they found Mom and Jack. They kept moving through the forest, following Sam's previous instructions, leaving the burnt vampires behind.

"Sam?" A voice asked from behind, and Sam jumped in surprise. He turned to see Gabriel who came to walk up beside him, "Are you ok?"

Sam swallowed, forcing a pathetic smile. "Yeah," He answered.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow and gave him a knowing look, face almost curious as to why Sam would even try to fool him when he knew he could see through the charade. Sam sighed heavily, looking to the ground as they walked. "No," he admitted with a tired grin, "no, I'm not."

Gabriel exhaled in mock relief. "Good, 'cause if any of us was OK with any of this, there'd something seriously wrong with them." He muttered, causing the corner of Sam's lips to twitch upwards. "I'm sorry for telepathing you earlier." The arch angel said abruptly, unable to meet Sam's eyes, "It wasn't cool of me to just invade your brain like that. I won't do it again."

Sam frowned confusedly at the smaller man. "Why? It wasn't bad. Just… weird. Like talking and thinking…"

"Like talking and thinking had sex and that's their messed up lovechild?" Gabriel asked mischievously, and Sam couldn't stop the laugh that escaped his mouth at that. He felt Gabriel's grace brighten slightly when he chuckled, laughing at his ridiculous analogies.

"Yeah, something like that." Sam agreed, stepping over the remains of what looked like a cabin that had been destroyed in battle long ago.

"You're sure that you're not… you know… mad about us being stuck together?" Gabriel blurted out, "I know that we haven't always been best pals in the past, and I know I was acting st-"

"Gabriel," Sam interrupted the rambling angel, causing him to stop speaking. Sam looked at him with warm eyes that said, _everything is water under the bridge,_ a half smile tugging at his mouth, "get over yourself."

The angel smiled, a genuine, non-joke backed smile, and Sam had to pause because he thinks that was the first time he'd ever seen the archangel smile without mirth or any other ulterior motive. It was odd to see, but wonderful all the same. He felt Gabriel's grace nudge his soul playfully, a feeling that could only be described as ticklish. He grinned at his feet before pushing Gabriel's grace back, two celestial beings playing at each other like kids on a playground. Sam was taken aback by a moment, realizing that he was the kid. He often forgotten just how old Gabriel and Cas and all the angels were. He was _so much_ older than Sam, knew _so much more,_ yet all they'd ever done was fight either against or with each other. Sam's mind was suddenly filled with questions, so much more than he could voice at once. He wanted to ask Gabriel every single one of them in due time, but his thoughts were interrupted when he looked up and saw that they had arrived.

A small, barely-held-together settlement with a campfire in the middle, bustling with people was before them. Then, a familiar voice called out, "Sam, Dean? Is that you?"

Dean looked up and Sam's eyes widened. "Mom?"


	6. Chapter 6

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The reunion was bittersweet- both hunters were ecstatic to see their family again, but the happiness was dampened by their bleak situation. Sam tried to take comfort in the fact that they could at least talk to Bobby again, but no matter how much the two were similar, this wasn't _their_ Bobby. Logically, he knew they'd never see their Bobby again. But it still did little to comfort him.

Jack had noticed the grace bond right away. He'd ran out of Bobby's house, dashing over to Sam in Gabriel with that smile on his face that reminded Castiel so much of Kelly Kline.

"Sam, Gabriel," He said, "I knew you would find us! I am so glad my grandfather chose for you to fight together."

Sam blushed, unable to get used to the feeling that everyone thought they were a couple. Dean had so far refrained from teasing him about it, but he knew that was only because his brother was still on edge about the grace bond. Sam didn't blame him, though. Dean could only judge Gabriel based on what he'd done to them in the past; he wasn't able to see what Sam saw, know the archangel on such a prime level.

"Yeah, you could call it a match made in heaven," Gabriel joked, and Sam gave him a look that clearly said, _not funny._

"Sam, is this true?" Mary asked, walking over to her youngest son. Cas and Dean had mostly filled them in on what had happened, but Sam was nervous. He didn't think he could explain what they shared if his life depended on it. There were no words on earth that could describe how their bond _really_ worked. The closest thing Sam could think of was brothers, but then again, that wasn't quite it, either.

Sam nodded, searching his mother's gaze for any signs of disapproval, "Yeah… But I don't know if we can take out Michael." He said hurriedly, desperate to at least get that message across.

Mary smiled knowingly, laying a lily white hand on his arm. "I know, Sam, it's ok. We'll think of something." She assured, trying to calm him before glancing at Gabriel. "You're Gabriel, aren't you?" She asked skeptically.

Gabriel grinned, spreading his palms out. "In the flesh." He replied, his trickster mirth tenable.

Mary gazed at him intently, as if trying to read his motives. She was, to say the very least, wary of any angel. "What about the poor guy you're wearing?" She asked in a hard voice, gesturing to his vessel, "is he still around, or do you also have no problem killing humans?"

Sam half expected Gabriel to snark back a reply, but instead, the archangel only shook his head. "Actually," he said calmly, "I didn't steal anyone for a vessel. My dad made me this body when I took my first trip to earth. It was, well, a _long_ time ago, but I've managed to take care of him. Unlike my siblings, I actually _care_ about appearances." He said.

Mary and Sam both shared a look of surprise, staring at him. "Wait, so you've managed to keep this vessel for billions of years?" Sam asked in disbelief, "How did you make it last so long?"

Gabriel shrugged, "Think of it like my version of Dean's impala," he said nonchalantly, "I'm borderline obsessive on keeping him up and running. If we're getting technical, though, I give him a once-over with my grace every couple of years. Keeps the decades from catching up, if you know what I mean."

Although Mary still seemed suspicious, she bought what Gabriel said and gave him a curt nod. "Well, I'm Sam's mother. My name is-"

"Mary Winchester, born on July 18th, 1958, to Samuel and Deanna Campbell. Your blood type is A positive, your favorite color is green, and when you were pregnant with Sam, your main craving was smoked kielbasa." Gabriel interrupted and finished, looking proud of himself as he reveled in the shock on both the Winchester's faces.

"How do you…" Mary trailed off in awe.

"Oh, don't worry, it's not weird," Gabriel assured, making Sam huff in exasperation, "I know about everyone. I'm sort of the angel of children- assigned, believe me, I didn't choose it- And, since humans are really just kids who got taller, my dad has this thing about sending me info on people all the time. I kind of archive it away." He grinned and turned to Sam, whose mouth was struggling to stay closed, "I also know that Sam's first crush was on Anna Wilkins in the second grade."

The hunter balked, opening his mouth to tell the angel to promptly shut up, when Other Bobby rushed over to them. "Hey, Chatty Kathies!" He barked impatiently, "We got a problem."

* * *

Lucifer's arrival was something none of them were prepared for. Sam felt his stomach twist when he first caught sight of his former tormentor. He knew Lucifer's end game: win over Jack and take everything for himself. But Jack was young and naive, and although everyone else could see the fallen angel's motives, Jack could not. It made Sam's head feel fuzzy just thinking about it. Losing Jack was not an option, not even something they would consider let happen. Despite their efforts to keep the two apart, however, Jack seemed intent on getting to know his father, and there was nothing they could do.

Night was falling quickly, and Dean kept pacing back and forth through the salvage yard to think of a way to save as many people as they could before the rift closed. He'd originally wanted Sam to go inside and discuss plans with him, but then remembered that stupid bond. If he had Gabriel stationed outside guarding the place, that meant he could get hurt, and in turn, Sam would follow. Bobby and he had concluded that the safest plan was to keep them in the same place at all times, much to Sam's protest. He loathed the idea of being stuck and unable to go as he pleased, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Gabriel that. He couldn't really harbor any ill will towards the archangel, not after seeing his true form and realizing that all he was was beauty and light. _I wonder if this grace bond messes with my mind,_ Sam thought to himself absently, making him remember the time he'd fallen for Becky after she'd used that love potion on him. He certainly wasn't in love with Gabriel, but could the bond have the same sort of effect? Make him feel more at ease than he naturally would? The hunter shuddered at the thought of having any altered state of consciousness, and hoped it was simply him being enamoured at the sight of such inconceivable perfection.

"Sorry you're stuck out here with little old me." Gabriel said casually, twirling his blade in his hands, "Must be boring." The two sat around a small fire that some of the other refugees had made in an old oil barrel. Sam's angel killing gun rested on his knees as he leaned up against some ancient rusted truck that Bobby had sitting around.

"It's not like there's much else to do." Sam replied, watching Lucifer out of the corner of his eye warily, "We need to get these people back to the rift and I won't let Michael's pension for ambushing get in our way of that."

Gabriel quirked a sarcastic smile, eyes thoughtful. "That's my big bro for ya," He murmured, before his smile faded to a frown, "my awful, dick bro."

Sam wanted to say something to comfort Gabriel. He couldn't imagine having a brother turn on him, abandon him and their family like that. He wanted to laugh at the irony of it. _What do you call ditching Dean for Stanford, idiot?_ But there really wasn't anything to counter Gabriel's remarks. So, Sam settled for saying, "Tell me about your brothers… before everything happened, I mean."

Gabriel frowned at him, confused. "What's there to tell?" He asked.

Sam huffed. "I don't know, what were they like? Were they strict, fun? I already know you were the class clown." He said, crossing his arms.

The archangel scoffed at that, but the corner of his lips twitched in a half grin. "I guess you could say I was the most fun." He admitted, before tilting his head to the side, trying to remember what his life was like all those eons ago, "Michael, he was… he was serious. Always the obedient guy- teacher's pet, if you will."

"So, he lived to please?" Sam asked, looking off towards the shed where Dean, Bobby, and Mom were gathered. "Sounds like someone else I know." He murmured, the image of Dean following their father like a lap dog coming to his mind.

But Gabriel shook his head in the negative. "Actually, no, not really… He followed orders, but he did what he wanted. He never really cared what anyone else thought. He just wanted to do what he was told and do it better than anyone else could." Images flew before the angel's eyes as he recalled when he was younger. Soft vanilla skies, his brother's enormous wings, the laughter of his siblings… back when everyone was happy, back before their father had created humans and Lucifer fell from grace. Back when it was just so simple.

Sam sighed softly, looking at his shoes. "I'm sorry. For what happened, I mean." He murmured, not willing to look Gabriel in the eyes. He didn't need to. He felt the angel's grace flutter in surprise.

"Why are you sorry?" Gabriel asked lowly.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck, hoping he wasn't overstepping his bounds. "It just sounds like you guys were all happy before humans came around," he said, voice barely above a whisper, "you were happy, and we ruined it."

Gabriel's eyes widened in surprise, and he swallowed thickly. No human he'd ever spoken to had even thought something like that. Granted, he'd never talked to any human about his family before, but still, the admission shocked him. _Is this really what he thinks?_ Gabriel thought sadly, _that things would have been better off it they'd never existed?_ The archangel felt something in his grace start to bounce, like a rubber ball going restlessly from wall to wall. Angels didn't feel, they weren't supposed to have emotions. But when Sam said that, a memory he didn't even know he had came to the forefront of his mind. He remembers his father's voice, all those years ago, when he'd announced to his children his new creation. _They will be called man, and you are to love them more than you love me._ Love was an emotion. They were supposed to love humans. But what had that even meant? It was a foreign concept to the angels, at least in the sense of human-love. Their father _was_ love. They were content not to feel anything as long as they were near him. They felt fulfilled, complete. They were used to being loved, but they were not used to loving.

"You didn't ruin it," Gabriel said roughly, looking at Sam with a sad smile, "you made it better."

Sam furrowed his brows and shook his head, confused, "Are you kidding? We're a mess! Everything we touch falls apart, we fight and we kill and we… we sin, right?" He asked, suddenly desperate to know.

Gabriel laughed bitterly at the word. "Sin," he repeated hollowly, "what do _angels_ know about sin? My siblings think themselves above you, but isn't pride a sin?"

The dead trees blew silently around the camp, causing the fire to flicker a bit. Sam didn't say anything.

"Our father told us once what it meant to sin." Gabriel said flatly, "But we've all forgotten. I've forgotten, it was so long ago. I don't even know the meaning of the word anymore." He muttered, eyes almost… sad? He looked at Sam, eyes wide and suddenly full of a great sorrow. Sam had never seen that expression on an angel before, not even Castiel, and it nearly left him breathless.

"Humans didn't ruin my family, Sammy," he repeated, looking Sam square in the eye, "You've gotta believe that. We ruined ourselves. And you were the best thing that ever happened to us."

Sam blinked, his lips thin as he stood stoically, taking in those words.

Gabriel's gaze was far away, like he was lost in a memory. But it must've been a happy one, because his smile was genuine. "I used to- my sister and I- we used to sing to Adam and Eve." He recalled fondly, hands clasped together.

"Sing?" Sam croaked, still speechless but puzzled nonetheless.

Gabriel nodded almost imperceptibly. "Your souls… human souls are so bright, so warm, they're addictive. We wanted to be around them as much as we could. So, before Adam and Eve… fell… we'd spend hours, days, really, just sitting with them in the garden. It sounds like one of the most cliche things ever, but… they liked it."

Sam breathed a slightly hysterical laugh, not knowing what to say in the slightest. An angel had basically just told him the meaning of life. What do you even say to that? He couldn't think of a word if his life depended on it, so he just stood there, frozen to the ground. He couldn't describe it, but he felt more at peace than he had been in a long, long time. And it was strange- they were standing guard outside a compound, in a world invaded by malevolent all-powerful beings, with the fucking _devil_ staying with them. But Sam couldn't say he felt anything other than peace. He didn't even notice when he started to fall asleep, the angst filled days of the past week finally catching up to him. He knew Dean would come rushing out at any moment with a plan, tell him to quit being a girl and wake up, but he let himself have just this one moment.

He didn't even flinch when he realized that he wasn't sleeping against a rusty truck, but against a warm body of glowing scales, the feeling of feathers tucked around him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys! Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but it's an important segway in the story. Please hit that review button and tell me what you think! Thanks so much and enjoy! (disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters).**

As expected, Sam's blissful slumber didn't last long. Within 15 minutes of dozing off, Dean barreled out of the shed with Bobby and Mom on his toes, armed with a somewhat questionable and extremely risky plan.

"Wait a minute, Dean, you're talking about getting _all_ of these people to the rift?" Sam reiterated for the seventh time since he'd heard his brother's idea.

Dean was fiddling with the engine of an old school bus that Other Bobby had come across, trying to get the broken down vehicle to somehow run again. He sighed deeply, resting his elbows on the hood. "You gotta better idea?" He asked, green eyes flicking up to face his brother.

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "No, but, look," he thrust his phone towards Dean, showing the timer that Sam had set since Lucifer arrived. He was locked away in warded cuffs, but that still did little to quell the fears of everyone in sight. He'd given the boys a rough estimate of how long his grace would keep the portal open, and, assuming he wasn't lying (which was a grand testament in Sam's book), they'd only have 36 hours to get back to the real word. His phone had been ticking ever since, and they were now down to one hour. "How are we even going to get everybody there in time? It's like, a 30 minute drive, assuming this thing even runs!"

Dean pursed his lips, reaching for a gear in the engine. "Like I said, when you think of a better idea, tell me. Why don't you ask your new best friend for inspiration?" He grumbled, the last part so low that Sam wasn't even sure he heard right.

Sam frowned, eyes narrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked sharply, taken by surprise at Dean's comment.

Dean closed the hood of the bus with a loud bang, facing his brother with folded arms. "It means that I think you let this guy get into your head way too quickly." He said gruffly, face drawn tight with lines of exhaustion.

Sam shook his head in frustration, eyeing Dean angrily. "Gabriel didn't _do_ anything! Neither of us did, it just happened!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, well maybe you were too quick to let it happen." Dean snapped, "He's an angel, Sam, and no matter what you think, we can't trust him."

"But we can trust Cas." Sam retorted fiercely.

"We _know_ Cas!" He fumed, "All we know about Gabriel is that he screwed us over in the past and you wanna make him hero of the year?"

Sam took a deep breath, trying not to say something he would regret. _He doesn't know,_ he kept thinking to himself, _go easy on him, he's just worried about you. He doesn't know._ "I know this is… unexpected, weird, even for us," Sam started, keeping his voice calm, "but I wouldn't be ok with this if I didn't think Gabriel really wanted to help."

Dean looked at him for a moment with an emotion in his eyes that Sam couldn't read. For a second, it looked like he was going to agree with Sam, but he shut his mouth as soon as he opened it. "We leave in 5 minutes." He said roughly, walking away to meet up with Bobby.

Sam closed his eyes and sighed, upset firmly planted in his chest. He knew Dean wasn't anywhere near accepting of this. He didn't think it would be, but having Dean's simple approval on the grace bond mattered a lot to Sam. He was bound to Gabriel for life, they'd die together, this wasn't something that just went away. And if Dean thought he could undo this, nothing good would come of it. A small part of Sam wondered if it was possible that Dean was jealous. It sounded stupid, and Sam knew it probably wasn't true at all, but he couldn't deny that he himself had felt that way when they first met Cas. Obviously he adored the angel now, who'd become part of their family after years of keeping up with their antics, saving their lives. His quirky innocence and endearing traits were just part of what made him so important to them. But Sam knew that no matter how much Dean denied it, he and Cas did share a 'profound bond' as the angel had put it. And at first, it bothered Sam. He'd been embarrassed at himself for weeks, ashamed that he was feeling like a petulant little kid who'd gotten the attention shifted from them to a new baby. The jealousy faded over time, especially after Sam saw how much Cas cared about him as well, not just Dean.

But this was different. With Gabriel, it wasn't just a profound bond. It was his soul that was bound to the angel. The very core of what made Sam _Sam_ was permanently intertwined with the former trickster. There was no getting around this, despite the brother's consistency at cheating death.

"You ready to head out, Samshine?" A voice came from behind, startling him out of his thoughts.

Sam huffed, grabbing his backpack and his gun. "Will you stop with the nicknames?" He asked, eyebrow raised at the absurd things the archangel had taken to calling him.

Gabriel smirked, his golden eyes mischievous. "Never." He protested, looking up at the bus. "Looks like your big bro thought it was a good idea to let Lucifer drive." He said casually, gesturing to the driver's seat.

Sam balked momentarily, seeing that the ex-archangel was indeed behind the wheel. He was acting blase about the entire situation since he arrived, but Sam knew it was only a matter of time before the facade faded and the _real_ motive came out. That was what he did, after all. Charm people by telling them what they wanted to hear, the naive souls unaware of the vile, endless darkness that lurked beneath the mask. All Sam could do was pray that their plan worked- that they could seal Lucifer and Michael behind without having to put up a fight. Mom had convinced Cas, Dean, and Other Bobby to agree to leaving the archangels stranded, abandoning the idea of having Sam and Gabriel finish them off for good. Sam knew he should've been relieved at the news, but a small part of him kept thinking about what dean had said earlier. ' _Since when do things just stay put?'_. It made the young hunters stomach churn. He didn't even know what Gabriel felt about the situation, his grace had been unusually quiet and Sam hadn't bothered to try and get a vibe from him. He had a feeling that Gabriel was nervous, though- the archangel kept discreetly looking to the sky, as if he was expecting his brother to burst in on them at any moment.

"He can't get far, not with his grace being as depleted as it is." Gabriel muttered, bringing Sam back to the present. The archangel was unsure who he was trying to reassure more- Sam or himself.

" _Your_ grace is depleted." Sam pointed out, voice raising over the roar of the bus as it's engine finally kicked into life.

Gabriel shrugged sheepishly. "What can I say? I like livin' on the edge." He joked, earning a scoff from Sam.

"That's an understatement," Sam said half amused, "you barely made it away from Asmodeus and now you're here, ready to fight an army of weird, Michael-loyal angels."

Gabriel climbed up into the Jeep that they would drive to the rift, guarding the bus full of passengers, "' _ready'_ is a strong word," he said nonchalantly, "more like 'wing-it'."

Dean made his way over to the driver's seat with Bobby, shotgun resting on his knee as he took the wheel. The archangel noticed Sam tense at his older brothers presence, but decided not to mention anything. It would have been easy to read Sam's mind to find out what happened between the two, but he remembered his promise of never invading his thoughts again and quickly dismissed that idea.

"Sam, give us a time check, son." Other Bobby said gruffly, adjusting his hat as Dean shifted the Jeep into drive.

Sam glanced at his phone and swallowed nervously, trying not to let his apprehension show. "32 minutes and 41 seconds," he read. Truthfully, he didn't even need to look at his phone to know. He'd been obsessively glancing at his timer the entire day, and had the countdown burned into his brain.

"Hell, then, let's go! Drive, boy!" Other Bobby exclaimed, slapping dean on the back as he hit the gas, driving through the barely marked path in the woods.

As they approached the rift, trees flying by like tall, withered guards, Sam felt the familiar thrumming in his chest. Panicking, he tried to think clearly. Maybe he was just imagining things- the lack of sleep must be getting to me, he thought. But then it kept thrumming, vibrating through his chest until he could no longer deny it. Something was coming.

"Sam." Gabriel warned, looking at the hunter nervously, clearly feeling what he was feeling.

Sam opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the Jeep getting put in park, the bus stopping a few feet behind them, Dean's loud voice barking directions to the refugees. "Ok, everybody, let's move! Single file, let's go!" He ordered, watching as the people filed out of the bus and marched through the rift, the crackling yellow portal swallowing them into thin air.

"Dean," Sam called, climbing out of the Jeep and running over to him, "something's wrong."

Dean frowned at him, hands unconsciously tightening around his gun. "What?" He asked in concern, casting a glance around the forest.

"Sam!" Gabriel called again, the thrumming beginning to get louder and louder. It grate on his soul like nails on a chalkboard would to someone's ears, unbearably uncomfortable.

"Who is it?" Sam breathed, helping Gabriel off the tall Jeep. His stomach dropped as he saw the dread in those honey colored eyes.

"Michael." Gabriel whispered, as if he was afraid to speak the name out loud. As if saying the very word would make him arrive quicker.

Sam's eyes widened, and without thinking, he stood up on the hood of the Jeep, towering over all the refugees. "Everyone run, now!" He shouted, causing the people to look up in fear, "Hurry, go!" He yelled again, and the line moved faster, people started sprinting instead of marching into the rift. He felt like some desperate shepherd, trying to herd his flock of sheep away from an oncoming storm.

"Dude, what the hell is going on?" Dean demanded, trying to read Sam's expression as he jumped down from the car.

Sam opened his mouth to answer, but he only got a syllable out before a loud bang shook the earth, dirt and smoke flying out in all directions. They instinctively hit the ground, hands covering their heads. Before Sam closed his eyes, he flicked his gaze over to the rift, and felt a small sense of relief as he watched the last person successfully cross over.

He felt a warm weight on top of him, and he looked in surprise to see that Gabriel had shielded him with his body, chest pressed against Sam's back in an attempt to block some of the debris. It was instinctive, something the angel didn't even have to think about.

The dust cloud began to fade when the sound dissipated, and they cautiously lifted their heads, looking up to see the familiar shadow of wings. This time he could feel Gabriel's grace, but it wasn't buzzing with fear. It was angry. A strong, deep, powerful shroud of anger that had a different feel to it. Sam couldn't describe sensations as colors, but if he could, this one would be red.

Dean got to his feet shakily, not missing a beat as Gabriel helped Sam up. Cas looked at them worriedly, drawing his angel blade from his coat. "We must leave. Now." He said direly.

"Really, bro?" They all turned to see Lucifer walking up to Michael, arms crossed, "You shouldn't try to play the hero, you don't wear it well."

They watched from the side as Michael smirked bitterly, tilting his head at the remark. "You really want to do this again, Lou?"

Lucifer glanced at them with an unreadable glint in his eye, gaze lingering for barely a fraction of a second before he looked back at Michael. His ever present smugness was stronger than ever, and he gave the archangel a mocking smile. "Yeah." He sighed briefly, before shoving Michael with that incomprehensible force that all the angels seemed to have.

"Quickly, while they're distracted," Cas hissed, gesturing to the portal. Dean looked at the two brawling brothers one last time before turning to the rift, grabbing his gun and preparing to leave. Sam started walking after him, when he realized that Gabriel was still at the forefront of the clearing, staring at Lucifer and Michael with wide eyes.

" _Gabriel, what are you doing, c'mon!"_ He spoke telepathically, not wanting to alert the others of their escape.

He got no response, and with a startling realization, noticed that he couldn't detect Gabriel's grace, either. The lack of connection left an emptiness in his chest, and Sam suddenly felt like his lungs were robbed of air.

Heart threatening to beat out of his chest, Sam ran over and roughly grabbed Gabriel by his jacket, dragging him towards the rift. This got his attention, and he turned to Sam with what could only be described as horror in his eyes. His grace suddenly came back with full force, and Sam barely suppressed a gasp at how frantic it was, like troubled water rippling in a storm. It in turn knocked his soul off kilter, the feeling of upset and disturbance rumbling through his very core like a ruthless earthquake. He inhaled sharply, clutching at his chest in an attempt to quell the awful sensation. The quaking of Gabriel's grace was beginning to make him dizzy, and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He opened his mouth to scream? Shout? Ask Gabriel what was going on? But before he could utter a word, he felt Dean's strong hand take his arm in an iron grip, and he tightened his hold on Gabriel as they fell through the rift. The brief feeling of falling made his stomach flip, but as soon as it started, it ended.

They tumbled to the ground of the bunker, panting heavily as the rift closed behind them. Dean was saying something, the chatter of everyone was echoing through the bunker, and Cas was asking a multitude of questions that Sam couldn't understand. He didn't register anything around them except for Gabriel's golden eyes, staring at him desperately with a haunted expression.

" _He's going to come back."_ Gabriel breathed his thought, echoing into Sam's mind with a hollow sense of terror, " _I saw what he wants to do, Sammy… He's going to come back."_

Sam felt his stomach drop in panic, unable to form words. His soul was still shaking with the aftershocks of Gabriel's grace, and the dizziness he'd been experiencing was only getting worse. The last thing he remembered was grasping Gabriel's hand, before his world faded to black.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! I know these updates are coming quick, but when you got the writing bug, they tend to do that! Please review and leave your thoughts! Thanks again for reading!**

When Sam woke up, he was alone in his room at the bunker. His eyes opened slowly, a headache pounding like a kettledrum against his temples. It took a few moments, but soon the memories came flooding back to him. The rescue, the rift, and… Gabriel. He remembered the awful feeling of pushing and pulling at his soul when Gabe's grace went haywire, a sensation he had never felt before. It was a part of his soul, so it wasn't physical… but it was. His head ached and if he hadn't of passed out first, he was sure he would have thrown up.

Sitting up slowly, he reached up a hand to soothe his aching temples.

"I told Dean you got dizzy from crossing over." A voice out of the silence said, causing Sam to jolt in surprise as he whirled around. Gabriel sat perched on a chair in the corner of the room, staring intently at Sam, "'Cause you and I need to talk."

Sam took a deep breath, trying to calm his frayed nerves. "Gabriel, I… I'm a little confused," He managed, furrowing his brows as he tried to recall as much as he could. His grace. Gabriel's grace practically erupted, throwing him into shock, "what happened to you back there?"

Gabriel sighed, carding a hand through his hair wearily. He paused a moment before answering Sam's question. "I read his mind." He said plaintively.

"Who?" Sam asked, although he didn't really need to hear it.

"Michael." Gabriel replied, screwing his eyes shut before opening them again, "If an angel _really_ wants to, they can bind a teeny portion of their grace to someone else's for a minute. Long enough to see what they see, know what they know… And I saw what he plans to do-"

"I felt it." Sam cut in, "Your grace, I mean. When it left, it felt… awful."

Gabriel smiled tiredly, the grin not reaching his eyes. "Sorry 'bout that, kiddo. I know it's not a pleasant feeling."

Sam licked his lips apprehensively before regarding the angel in hesitation. "What did you see?" He questioned. _It can't be true,_ he kept chanting to himself, _we're here, we're safe, everything's going ok. It can't be true._

There was a long stretch of silence before Gabriel answered. "He's going to nuke this world, Sam. Destroy it, everything on it. He's going to leave a few people alive and start some messed up new world order. Totalitarian, horrible… genocide. But he thinks it's righteous." The archangel shuddered just thinking about it, not wanting to relive the visions that had flashed through his eyes in the other world. It was vile, cruel, and all in all, _disturbing._ It was disturbing how someone, let alone an archangel, could twist the word of their father so badly. It was a version that wasn't even close to what their father had told them all those eons ago. It was warped and whittled to the point where it didn't even _almost_ make sense anymore, like looking into a cracked mirror and seeing a mirage of mismatched pieces.

Sam swallowed, trying not to let his panic show, before shaking his head in denial. "But that's impossible!" He uttered, "We sealed him away, him _and_ Lucifer! They're stuck there!"

Gabriel shook his head gravely, normally playful eyes somber. "No, they're not," he murmured darkly, "he has a plan. A deal with Lucifer or something."

The young hunter pursed his lips, flustered and confused. "Wait, what deal? With Lucifer? What's the trade?" He queried.

Gabriel frowned, resting his elbows on his knees. "I don't know. I was only strong enough to sustain the reading for a few seconds. I didn't catch any details." He admitted.

A chorus of laughter sounded from outside, the crowd of refugees mingling with Rowena and the others as Bobby was presumably giving some kind of speech. Sam's heart broke a little when he realized that they were celebrating. They were celebrating, after everything they'd endured, and it wasn't even over yet. Not even close. He looked back at Gabriel, shaking his head in horror. "We can't let that happen," he implored, "not now, not with everyone safe. We have to tell Dean, we have to do something."

"We can't tell anyone!" Gabriel insisted hurriedly, "What do you think's gonna happen if we tell them what I saw? Dean and Castiel are going to march back there, guns blazing, and get killed for good. I'm telling you, Sammy, this guy does _not_ mess around. He's nothing like the Michael we knew."

"Well, we can't just do nothing!" Sam exclaimed in frustration, "We have to tell someone, we have to stop this!"

Gabriel looked away for a moment, and Sam's exhausted soul felt a small bump as the angel's grace nudged it. He inhaled a long breath before saying, "The way I see it, there's only one shot we have at stopping him." He said quietly.

Sam opened his mouth to demand what it was, before the answer hit him. Rowena's words echoed absently in the back of his mind; " _You and Gabriel have enough strength to take him down…"_. Images of the golden dragon with powerful amber wings flashed through his head like a movie, that power only growing when Sam focused and combined his with Gabriel's. The commands, the vampire slaying, everything. "It's us, isn't it?" He stated more than asked, voice dry.

Gabriel nodded numbly, unable to look at the human. He stared at a speck on the wallpaper instead. "I don't see any other way, Sammich, and I saw enough. With a little luck, _we_ might have a chance at taking Michael out." He emitted, folding his palms together. The rest of the sentence went unspoke. _Or, more than likely, we'll die stopping him._

Sam closed his eyes, trying to block out the rest of the world. This was exactly what he was trying to avoid. A fight against someone as powerful as Michael had a 50-50 outcome. Either they got taken out, or the enemy did. And no amount of planning could change that result. _Dean will kill me if I keep him in the dark about this,_ he thought absently. It was true. If he and Gabriel went out on a solo mission without letting any of them know, he was sure to cause his older brother a hell of a lot of heartache and worry.

But the alternative was worse. In his heart of hearts, Sam knew Gabriel was right. Even Dean and Cas, the fighters and strong men that they were, couldn't stop this Michael. He was unsure about Jack and his power, but there was absolutely no way that he would involve a child in this, even if he did have the grace to stop him. If Dean or anyone else got involved, they'd almost surely end up as casualties.

"Whatever you choose to do, Sammy," Gabriel said suddenly, gazing at Sam earnestly, "I'm with you."

Sam felt his chest tighten as he managed a small smile, wondering what he could have done to deserve this beautiful thing of power as his friend. They'd both screwed up in the past, and yet, after all their misgivings, they found themselves here. Here, where they had no ill will left against one another. He dared himself to embrace Gabriel's grace with his soul, a feeling that could only be described as warm. "We have to, Gabe," he entreated softly, gesturing to the crowd outside the door and down the hall, "listen to them. We _have_ to win."

Gabriel smiled inwardly at the feeling of Sam's soul wrapping itself around his grace, soothing his troubled energy like cool water on a burn. He listened to the sounds of playful conversation and laughter from the war room, echoing throughout the bunker. The sounds of friends, the sounds of family. He allowed himself to marvel for just a moment at how he'd subconsciously referred to humans as family, wondering what his old self would have thought of that. It didn't matter now- he was a soldier of god, and he had a mission to accomplish. "When do we leave?" He asked lowly, "Are you sure you don't want to tell Dean?"

Sam huffed a small, broken laugh at that. "Why, so he can die trying to stop me? You're right, they need to stay out of this to be safe. I'll let him kick my ass after all of this is over." He muttered, causing Gabriel to chuckle amusedly despite their situation. He looked to his angel, contemplating. "How much time do we have before he…" He trailed off, not knowing how to finish that sentence.

The archangel cleared his throat absently, brows furrowed in grim thought. "I don't know for sure," he answered honestly, "but not long. A week or two at most. It'll take some time for him to rally his armies and get whatever spell he needs to cross over."

The idea of leaving everyone behind and possibly not coming back felt like a weight tied around Sam's chest, another cross to bear out of the many he'd carried in his life. He'd died many times now, burnt in hell and come back again, each time for Dean. He'd do it again, only this time, he took some small measure of comfort in the fact that he probably wouldn't go to Hell. He didn't think for a second that it wasn't worth it. His life in exchange for the world? A no brainer. But this time, if he did die, he wanted it to be final. Not because he didn't want to be with his family, but because he wanted them to be at peace. Both he and his brother knew that coming back always came with a price. He felt hypocritical just thinking about it, knowing that if Dean was in the position he was, he'd do anything to get his brother back. He felt a pang in his heart when he remembered the promise he'd made to Dean. " _If we die, we'll do that together, too."_. What a horrible lie to make, and it filled him with guilt just recalling it. But this was for the best. This was right.

"Gabriel, if we die…" Sam paused, unable to stop the words from leaving his mouth, "where will we go?"

The archangel sat on the edge of the bed next to Sam, abandoning his perch on the chair. "I don't know," He whispered roughly, "but we won't go to Hell or the empty. That's for sure."

Sam breathed a wet laugh, not noticing the saltwater that was starting to pool in his eyes. He didn't even have the energy to chide himself for crying like a girl. "Since when is there any 'sureness' in what we do?" He scoffed.

Gabriel gave a small smile, allowing a sense of relaxation to befall him. "Since I know my father. He won't let us go there this time." He declared softly, not knowing when he'd gained such a comforting tone of voice. Not knowing when he started to care.

"How do you know?" Sam murmured, a tear escaping and rolling down his cheek.

Gabriel thinks this was the first time in his entire existence that he'd ever touched a human's tear as he flicked it off Sam's cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I know." He repeated affirmatively, because that was all he needed to say.

* * *

They left that night, after Sam emerged from his bedroom and made his rounds talking to everybody. It was tortuous to smile and chat and look happy while he knew what he was about to do. He couldn't let on anything unusual, though, or Dean would surely pick it up. He was slightly amazed that his older brother hadn't caught him, hadn't pulled him aside and asked what was up. Sam felt sick and horrible as he said goodnight to Mom and Jack, Cas and Dean. _What a way for them to remember me,_ he thought bitterly as he forced a smile, patting his older brother on the shoulder before he turned to go to his room, _Sam, the guy who lied to everyone before going off to play hero. The brother who broke his promise._

Gabriel used his grace to silence their movements as they prepared to leave. The clock on his nightstand ticked for 1 in the morning as Sam grabbed a paper and pen, writing a note to his mother. He made sure to underline the part 'don't let Dean do anything stupid' in bold letters, even though Mary had good common sense. He wiped furiously at his eyes as he signed it, tossing the pen on his bed and grabbing his bag that contained warding, a spell book, and his gun.

"How can you be sure they won't follow us?" He asked Gabriel quietly, even though he knew no one could hear them, "You know Jack and Cas are gonna try and find us the minute they see that we're gone, right?"

His angel lifted his sleeve to show an unfamiliar warding pattern carved on his forearm, scarring and dried blood caking it. Sam's eyes widened as he saw it, gripping Gabriel's hand to get a better look. "Gabe!" He exclaimed, "What the hell? That could get infected!"

Gabriel rolled his eyes and pulled his sleeve back down, looking at Sam like he was explaining logic to a first grader. "Don't worry, mom, my grace isn't that low." He quipped, handing his archangel blade to Sam. "You have to do it, too. It's an anti-tracking spell, no angel or demon can pick up our trail, but it only works with an archangel blade."

Sam huffed indignantly at Gabriel's ability to brush him off so quickly, but grabbed the blade and bit his lip as he carved the symbol into the flesh on his forearm, only allowing a small grunt at the pain. He'd been burned and tortured for years in hell, this was barely a scratch. "What about Jack?" Sam asked, grabbing a swab of rubbing alcohol from the first aid kit he kept hidden under his bed, "He's half archangel, couldn't he override it?" He winced as the alcohol swabbed over his skin, but steeled himself and kept the wound clean. He couldn't afford to get sick now.

"Nephilim can't track it, even if he is part archangel." Gabriel answered, "You've gotta be the whole package to override it, and even then, it takes a lot out of us."

Sam sighed, slipping on his jacket and grabbing the note he'd written to Mary. "Where are we going first, again?" Sam asked tiredly, rubbing his forehead. They'd laid out a plan earlier and Gabriel mentioned something about staying on earth for a day to 'practice' before opening the rift again.

"Iceland." The archangel replied, following Sam as he padded silently through the bunker, carefully opening the door to his mother's bedroom.

"Iceland?" Sam frowned, confused. He carefully set the note down on Mary's nightstand, watching as she slept peacefully. _I'm sorry to do this to you, mom,_ he thought sadly as he tore his gaze from her, those eyes and that nose looking almost identical to Dean's.

"I got a bit of a hang out goin' on over there since I took up Loki's spot," Gabriel said casually as they walked into the war room, "it's warded against pretty much everything and no one knows about it except a few very classy on-call stripper clubs."

Sam rolled his eyes in exasperation as looked at Gabriel. "You're unbelievable." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'awesome'." Gabe replied haughtily, a proud grin on his face like he'd just won some sort of contest.

Sam took one last look around the bunker, making sure everything was in order and that no one had followed them. He inhaled sharply before looking at his angel. He didn't know if this would work, and he didn't know if they'd come back alive or not. But he knew they would stop Michael. They would because they had to.

"Alright," He said, looking at his angel with a mix of determination and sadness, "let's go."

The last thing Sam heard was a flap of wings before the bunker disappeared.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello! Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but it's a necessary chunk. Thank you for reading, and as always, hit that review button and leave your thoughts!**

Iceland was exactly what Sam expected it to be: cold, snowy, and dark. They arrived within a fraction of a second to howling wind and icy air, the cold seeping into the hunters bones as soon as he was able to register temperature. A light in the distance caught his eye, and he was able to make out the shape of a house, small and seemingly insignificant against the vast, wooded landscape.

"Sorry I couldn't zap us straight to the living room, my grace is still too low for exact locations." Gabriel murmured as they made their trek up the long and winding driveway.

"You could've let me know that it's winter here!" Sam cursed between chattering teeth, pulling his thin jacket tightly around his frame. He hadn't thought much about packing for himself when they left. His mind was on their impending doom.

Gabriel shrugged innocently, barely affected by the bitter cold. "Well, excuse me for liking Dr. Sexy more than the weather channel." He replied sassily.

As they got closer to the house, Sam could see the angel banishing sigils painted on the walls, the pavement, even the windows. There was a large assortment of other symbols as well, but Sam didn't have the energy to look at each and every one. Laying a palm on the symbol painted on the front door, Gabe burned through the warding just enough to let them in before promptly replacing it.

The inside of the house was truly a design suited to Gabriel. It looked like a bachelor pad that one of Sam's college buddies would have had from Stanford- sparse decor with a multitude of couches, carelessly discarded pizza boxes, and the occasional stray bra or lingerie.

"You _lived_ here?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at the obviously messy state of the house.

The archangel nodded fondly, as if he was reminiscing about the good old days. "Yep, they called this place the 'Gabe cave'." He replied, and Sam snorted at the name.

"What are we gonna be able to do if we're stuck in the middle of nowhere?" Sam questioned, setting his bag down on a poker table, "I know this place is warded, but how are we going to open the rift without the ingredients?"

Gabriel took a seat on chair draped with what looked like a jaguar pelt. "Please," He waved a hand dismisively, "I saw what your red headed friend put in there. All we need is archangel grace and the rest I can snap up." He murmured.

Sam inhaled sharply, mind racing with things to do before the faced Michael. What limits to test, how to prepare, when to attack- the amount that could go wrong was staggering. "What do we do now?" He asked, almost ashamed of how lost he sounded.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm taking the first day for a little R&R. You may be my boost, but I'm nowhere near full power yet. My grace has been charging for a while, though, so I should be back to normal by tomorrow afternoon." He proclaimed, putting his feet up on the table.

Sam felt the nagging beginnings of doubt start to eat away at him. " _That's_ your plan? To go on vacation? Gabriel, we barely have enough time to test our limits and figure out how to do this, we can't just sit around!" He exclaimed.

Gabriel's joking demeanor dropped, looking at Sam seriously. "We don't have a choice." He said glumly, "Believe me, kiddo, I'd be busting through that portal right now if I could. I'd love nothing more than to tear my big bro a new one. But I'm too weak to go up against Michael now. And if he catches us? Let's just say he likes to play with his food before he eats it."

Sam shuddered at the statement, swallowing thickly. He knew his angel was right. Getting back to full strength before facing the corrupt archangel was a necessity, not a luxury. If they made any mistakes in how they went about this, it was game over. "Would you heal faster in your true form?" Sam asked quietly, tapping his fingers against the vinyl of the table.

Gabriel looked up at him in surprise, mouth opening and closing before he replied. "It might speed things up by an hour or two, but nothing major." He said.

"Then do it," Sam affirmed, looking at him with sureness, "an hour or two is valuable enough. You don't have to stay in your vessel around me, so why not?"

The archangel gave Sam a tiny smile before standing, tossing his jacket on the table. "You're a real cool kid, you know that, sammich?" He asked happily.

Sam shrugged and opened his mouth to reply before he was cut off by that overwhelming light, blinding him for just a moment before settling into that warm, peaceful glow. He knew that's what made him different from most. Most people only saw the harshness of that initial moment, that overpowering brightness, before they went blind forever. Sam got to see what happened it you looked all the way through, if you waited to see what came afterwards. A set of burnt-amber wings stretched out around the house so quickly that they knocked multiple glasses off of tables, causing them to crash to the floor. They wrapped around the walls and over the door twice, essentially enveloping Sam in a tiny room of glowing, celestial feathers. Sam wondered how Gabriel could contain the size of his trueform to fit inside the house, when in reality he was supposed to be the size of the Empire State Building. He recalled Cas once telling Dean that he was approximately the size of the Chrysler building, and then his older brother looking hilariously shocked at that statement. He decided not to push the question, though, as long as the angel was comfortable.

Gabriel did indeed looked a little cramped, however. The creature was sitting with its enormous knees tucked up to it's chest to save space, those skeleton like hands wrapped around each stick like leg. The pure grace that emanated off the body of the archangel singed shadows into the floor, making small crackling noises as the wood burnt slightly beneath them.

The breathtaking beauty of the angel never failed to leave Sam speechless, and he thinks that even if he saw this form everyday for the rest of his life, his level of awe would never change at the sight of it. The humanoid mask face was staring down at him, blinking with its grace filled, impossibly large eyes. It looked almost… cute. Such a huge, powerful, celestial being curled up in a ball, trying to leave enough space for his human. Like a 6 foot tall basketball player trying to fit into a little kid's chair.

Gabriel craned his neck (if you could call it that, it looked more like a glow worm appendage) down to Sam's level, wings ruffling slightly. A comet flashed through his galaxy filled eyes as he stared at Sam. "You sure this is still ok, kiddo?" He asked, the two voices moving in tandem. "I won't mind if it freaks you out. You'll have to let me know, though, 'cause I've never had a human see me before. I'm not really sure if you'll reach a breaking point or something."

Sam licked his lips, fighting the urge to wrap his arms around this beautiful, precious thing and never let go. He couldn't find the words, so he just nodded dumbly.

He let out an undignified yelp, however, when a finger the size of his entire body extended and nudged him closer, rippling warmth to his soul as it touched his skin.

"Don't look so scared, you know it's just me." Gabriel sighed, and Sam thinks that if the angel had eyebrows, he would've raised them.

"I-I'm not, I just…" Sam searched for words before realizing something. "Wait, don't you have two more sets of wings?" He asked,

The buffalo face on the side of his head seemed to snort and shift to look at its back. "Yeah, but they won't fit in here. It's ok, it doesn't hurt to keep them tucked in." He replied.

Sam could only gape in understanding as he forced himself to sit down, trying to look relaxed and not let on how awestruck he was. "Is it… uncomfortable? To be in your vessel, I mean?" He asked randomly, desperate for something to fill the awkward silence.

Gabriel _smiled_ , which Sam thought was impossible because he didn't have lips, but he did. It was more of a sensation than a facial expression, though. "No, Samshine. Vessels are supposed to be comfy. At least, mine is. It's like wearing pajamas around. They're soft and nice, but eventually you wanna change into something else." He tried to explain in a way the human could understand.

Sam sighed deeply, his mind drifting back to Dean and the rest of them. "How much do you wanna bet that they're looking for us right now?" He asked quietly, only half joking.

Gabriel chuckled, all of the voices of his laughter seemingly cooing at Sam's question. "Well, we've only been gone for an hour, but I'm sure Deano's lost his marbles by now. Sometimes I think the dude put a tracker on you when you were a baby or something." He murmured, his deep voice causing the window panes to shake just a little.

The hunter didn't even realize that he was leaning against one of Gabriel's Amber feathers in his exhaustion. "He probably would have if they had those in the 90s." Sam muttered, unable to help the sinking feeling of guilt from wrapping itself around his chest. He didn't think he could live with himself if dean got hurt, or worse while trying to look for them. The angel must've noticed sams distress, because its eagle face chirped in dismay and his feathers ruffled unhappily.

"You feel like you owe him." Gabriel stated more than asked, head tilting to watch Sam. His robe skirted at the edges of Sam's feet, the celestial shroud seemingly tugging at the hunters shoes.

Sam swallowed thickly, suppressing the memories of Dean sticking up for him throughout their childhood. He didn't think he could stand to reminisce about those times without having a full on breakdown. "He's sold his _soul_ for me, Gabe," he croaked, "I've made so many mistakes and he went to hell for me."

There was a long silence between the two, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Sam didn't dare look up, irrationally afraid that Gabriel would judge him when he saw the tears threatening to fall.

"You shouldn't feel bad for the choices he made." The angel said quietly, strands of his lion mane drifting in his face. "He's your older brother. Saving you is what he's supposed to do."

Sam shook his head vehemently, looking at his shoes. "He shouldn't have to," He whispered, "he shouldn't. He's never lived for himself, he's only ever lived for me."

Gabriel paused, blinking at Sam briefly. "Well, no one really lives for themselves and only themselves. That's what makes humans better than angels," he said softly, "they live and die for the people they love. It's how you know you have a heart and soul, Sammy."

The statement left Sam unable to reply, contemplative as he swallowed and curled up in the chair, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep for the rest of the night. "It doesn't make it hurt any less." He whispered, so low and so quietly that it would've been impossible for anyone with human ears to hear it. Gabe wasn't human.

"No, it doesn't," He agreed, tilting his head, "but it's a _good_ pain to feel. It means you love and you're loved in return. It means you're being what my dad wanted you to be. The most extraordinary creatures that there ever were and will be."

Sam barely registered what Gabriel said before he drifted off to sleep, surrounded by warm light and glowing feathers.

"Get some rest, Sammy. We'll start the work tomorrow."

They both fell asleep, Gabriel resting his grace while his all-seeing eyes guarded Sam with vigilance.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! So sorry for unexpected hiatus- I was updating on my AO3 account but completely forgot about this one! So, here's everything I've done so far!**

The first thing Sam noticed when he woke up was that Gabriel was gone. He sat up slowly, realizing he'd slept the whole night in the recliner chair he'd sat down in when they first entered the house. Morning sunlight was shining through the sigil-painted windows, and the snow outside seemed to have stopped.

"Gabe?" Sam called, voice rough from sleep. He stood up when something fell from his shoulder and onto the floor, causing him to jolt in surprise. A single amber feather, nearly the size of his arm, floated lightly to the floor. It had lost its celestial glow now that it was no longer attached to its owner, and looked like it belonged to some oversized bird.

"Hello?" Sam ventured again, clearing a few stray papers from the poker table and grabbing his gun just in case, "Gabriel, where are you?"

He was just beginning to panic when he heard it. It was faint, distant, almost muted, but it was there. The familiar roar/croon of the archangel-dragon. It was a strange but beautiful noise- somewhere between a bird and a lion, something you'd hear out of a Jurassic Park movie. Running to the front door, Sam carefully opened it and stepped out onto the front porch. _Are we under attack?_ He thought desperately, checking to make sure his gun was loaded, _who could've found us all the way out here?_

" _Nobody, kiddo, I'm just enjoying some fresh air."_ Gabriel's telepathic voice rang through his mind in that echoey way that Sam had yet to get used to. The roar sounded again, this time closer, and Sam looked up to the sky when a flash of gold caught his eye.

Gabriel was flying high above the ground, massive amber wings gliding across the arctic winds. The flight feathers towards the end cut through the sky like blades, glowing and pulsating with life. Sam didn't think it was possible for such a massive creature (about the size of a boeing 737) to look so graceful, but here it was; and he was breathtaking. His dark, rich golden scaled body was strong and muscular as it sailed through the air, legs trailing behind it like streamers on a kite. Gabriel's tail was long and tipped with barbed spikes, which ran all the way up his back and long neck. His spiraled golden horns curled up around his head, almost resembling a halo, and Sam wonders if that's where the description comes from. The grace that burned behind his eyes was brighter today, almost too bright to stare at. Sam wanted to chuckle inwardly when he realized that Gabe's eyes literally are the windows to his soul.

The dragon circled round to land in the yard, searching for a good position. As he got closer, the beat of his wings caused the house to shake, and Sam had to brace himself against the rush of air as the force threatened to knock him over. Taloned feet touched the ground, causing the earth to shake just a bit. Gabriel walked on the elbow hinges of his wings, an awkward motion that clearly showed his place was in the sky, not on land.

Sam couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. "I see that you've got all of your grace back?" He asked the dragon, whose enormous head came down to Sam's level.

" _Bingo,"_ Gabriel said telepathically, the dragon snorting through two large nostrils on the end of its snout. Sam thought that he should be unnerved by the fact that he could see slivers of those long teeth through the slight gap where his jaw closed, but he wasn't.

The young hunter cocked his head to the side, pursing his lips. "Can't you talk normal?" He asked, still trying to get used to the idea of talking with, well, ideas.

The dragon chirped like a bird, a deep whistling sound that came from its chest. It was _laughing. "Don't be silly, Sam, dragons can't talk. That would be weird."_ Gabriel said.

"Yes, Gabe, that's the _one_ weird thing in all of this." Sam folded his arms and scoffed sarcastically, earning a chuckle from the voice inside his head.

" _Touche,"_ Gabriel murmured, " _now head inside to eat so we can get this show on the road. There's food on the table- I hope you like mediocre scandinavian pancakes."_

Sam rolled his eyes, absently wondering why he was so calm about any of this as he walked back into the house. He'd just run away from his family, his friends, possibly forever, and was alone in the arctic wilderness with an archangel. _Maybe I've finally lost it,_ he thought only half jokingly.

In all seriousness, he was surprised at his lack of conflicted feelings over Gabriel. He didn't know if it was the grace bond or just the fact that he'd gotten to know the angel better, but a part of Sam felt like he should be more apprehensive about the angel. After all, this _was_ the same guy who made Dean die all over again, left them in TV world and tried to deceive them. There was an undeniable time in Sam's life where he wouldn't have thought twice about killing Gabriel. _I should feel something,_ he kept telling himself, _it shouldn't be this easy._ But all of those things had happened so long ago, and _so much_ had happened in their lives since they last saw Gabriel seemingly die. They'd watched people they cared for die over and over again, they'd won and they'd lost, they'd killed and they'd _been_ killed. Sam had gone through trials, Dean's mark of cain, losing and finding Cas, Jack being born… And Sam was just so tired. Too tired to hold on to any inhibitions from the past, no matter how warranted they were. He couldn't do it, didn't _want_ to do it.

Sam stopped in his tracks when he laid eyes on the spread at the countertop- piles of pancakes were dripping with syrup and covered in chocolate sauce, candies, and other sweets. It looked like some little kid had been let loose in the kitchen.

"Gabriel!" Sam called, turning to see the archangel walk into the kitchen in his human form.

"What up, Sammich?" He replied nonchalantly, sitting down at the counter and pulling a plate of pancakes towards him.

Sam looked at him in disbelief, brows furrowed. "I can't eat this!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the food, "I'm pretty sure I'll drop dead of a heart attack before lunch time!"

Gabriel rolled his eyes and groaned, shoveling a fork of chocolate covered pancakes in his mouth, "Ugh, fine- why did I get this feeling that you were all work and no play?" He asked with his mouth full before snapping his fingers, and Sam's plate was replaced with regular oatmeal and a banana.

"Thank you." Sam muttered, sitting down and starting to peel the fruit, "When did your grace come back?"

Gabriel shrugged, unwrapping a snickers bar. "The tank hit 'full' at about 3 in the morning. Apparently your allowing me to… 'let loose'... helped more than I thought it would." He admitted, popping the candy in his mouth.

Sam's eyes widened in realization, and he looked at Gabriel eagerly. This was their chance. "Wait, that means we can open the rift. If you're strong enough, we can leave and stop Michael." He said earnestly.

Gabriel's eyes became serious as he gave a slight nod. "I guess, physically, I'm able to stand up to my big brother. But you gotta remember, kiddo, it's not just him. We're gonna have to go through a lot of angels just to reach him. And who knows where Lucifer is…" he trailed off with a sigh.

Sam frowned, not liking the look of stress on the usually lighthearted angel. "We'll see what we can do, how many we can take out at once. I know you're able to breathe more fire when I'm riding with you, but what can I do? I mean, do we have any idea how this affects humans?" He asked, trying to sort through the millions of thoughts racing through his head. There were definitely no books on this at the bunker.

Gabriel pursed his lips, brows furrowed as he thought about it. "I'm not sure, but I remember a while back when the great grandson of Enoch was supposedly bonded to an angel- they said he had the strength of ten men. But what the hell does that mean? They were pretty big into metaphors back then." He muttered.

Sam looked around the house, an idea sprouting in his head. He walked over to a large, outdated dresser situated sadly in the corner of the living room, it's purpose long forgotten. "Are you attached to this or no?" He asked Gabriel without looking away, continuing to stare at the tall piece of dense furniture.

"What?" The angel frowned, confused, "No, it was here when I found the place, why?"

Sam took a deep breath, closing his eyes and focusing his soul on finding Gabriel's grace. It was still an odd sense to him, like being able to smell colors or see tastes. Gabriel's grace bumped up against his soul, warm and markedly stronger than yesterday. He couldn't exactly describe how he did it, but he reached into Gabriel's grace, soul gently withdrawing a small amount of energy like water from a well. He could _feel_ the molecular makeup of the wooden dresser, the density of the oak and the depth of the drawers. He focused, and when a loud bang sounded, he opened his eyes.

The 7 foot tall dresser was scattered in pieces on the floor, wood splintered into tiny fragments. Dust clouded in the air where it once stood, and the floorboards had scratched and buckled where the dresser fell. Even the brass handles of the drawers were twisted, warped like someone had reworked the metal.

"Wow," Sam breathed in amazement, staring at his hands in awe. _Did I seriously just do that?_ He thought to himself in disbelief, _could I really be capable of doing something like that?_

"I guess that's what they meant by 'ten men'." Gabriel said absently, staring at the broken pile of wood with wide eyes. He was just as surprised as the other man was.

Sam turned around, looking at Gabriel with renewed hope. "You try," He said softly, encouraging, "use my soul. That's what I did. I think it's like some sort of channel of energy."

Gabriel looked reluctant, but hesitantly lifted his gaze upon the angel banishing sigil painted on the door. He was able to break and re-seal it when he wanted to, but that didn't make it any less of a literal headache when he was around. Arch or not, he was still an angel, and warding _did_ affect him. Unless… He tried to replicated what Sam had said, and to his shock, it came easier than expected. He was still getting used to the feeling of a human soul, it had been ages since he last got the chance to come into contact with one. But now, his grace mingling with Sam's, he thinks that the young WInchester's soul was brighter and more beautiful than even Adam's before the fall. It reignited something in him, it heightened his ability to feel and notice his surroundings. He'd been around long enough to know that should never be taken for granted.

He didn't have to, but he took a deep breath. He felt the warding struggle against his grace, but with a sharp crackling noise and a flurry of sparks, the sigil burnt away. And to his utter bewilderment, so did every single other ward on the property. It was like a chain of dominos falling- one by one, they watched in disbelief as each demon banishing, witch-killing, ghost-proof symbol sparkled and cracked into nothing. In all his eternity of existence, Gabriel didn't remember any angel being able to take on multiple wardings at once. It would take a squad of many to get rid of just a few sigils, and he knew that from listening to many of Duma's little excursions on angel radio.

Sam was staring at him with a mildly amusing look of amazement, going to touch the singed remains of the symbols. His fingertips ran along the door reverently, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Gabriel didn't blame him- he couldn't, either.

They didn't need words to know what the other was thinking as they exchanged glances. They didn't even need to mind-speak to know. It was etched into the expressions on their faces, and suddenly, even though he knew he still should be, Sam didn't feel as afraid. If this was just the tip to the iceberg that was their combined power, Michael wouldn't know what hit him.

"Hey, Sam?" Gabriel asked, his trickster smirk present, "You wanna show that son of a bitch how we do things on earth?"


	11. Chapter 11

The day passed fairly quickly while they prepared to cross over into the other world. Sam had busied himself with improving their weaponry while Gabriel was gathering the spell ingredients, making sure they had what they needed to open the rift. They were both so consumed in their own thoughts that they hardly registered the hours ticking by- the sun was lowering itself into the sky by the time they were almost ready, creating a frosty pink glow that blanketed the icy landscape and spilled into the house. Sam had cleaned and re-cleaned his gun a dozen times that day. They'd broken many more objects while they were 'practicing', using their power to test themselves until the entire second floor of Gabe's house looked like a bomb went off. They discovered that their individual limits were around 12 objects at a time, but that wasn't even counting Gabe's warrior form. Sam knew he'd have to ride him while flying, but he had mixed feelings about that. It was one thing to mount the creature while it was on the ground, like they had when they killed the vampires, but it was completely different to hold on for dear life while they soared hundreds of feet in the air. Neither of them spoke about it, but Sam figured they'd try when the reached the other world.

"And you're _sure_ we can't get any more of these?" Sam asked for what seemed like the fifth time, twirling the archangel blade around in his hand as he examined it. It was the only weapon they had that could kill angels, the only one that could put an end to Michael or Lucifer for good.

Gabriel didn't look up from a book he was flipping through, one of Rowena's that he stole from the bunker before they left. "I'm sure- unless god opens up a blacksmith store, that's about all we got." He muttered, grabbing a saltshaker from one of the rundown cupboards in the kitchen.

Sam peered down at his gun, checking to see how many angel killing bullets he had left from the ones Dean gave him. 13, counting the one that was loaded and ready to go. He swallowed nervously and looked at the clock on his phone. 6:53 pm, and the seconds just kept ticking. He knew they were going to have to get through a bunch of scout angels before they were able to face Michael, but the thought of having to get so up close to them made him shiver. All it took was a snap of their fingers, and the celestial beings could end him (thereby ending Gabriel) for good.

Glancing around the house in an effort to distract himself from his worries, his eyes landed on a meter-long javelin that rested against the barely used fireplace. It looked like a relic from some bragging sports jock, trying to display their college prowess for all to see. A couple of lonely shot put weights rested on the ground beside it, caked in dust and cobwebs. Striding over to it, he gripped the metal spear in his hands, grimacing as a layer of dirt and grime rubbed off on his palm. The weight felt firm, steady in his hands. "Gabriel, is this yours?" He asked absently, still examining the javelin.

"Huh?" The angel looked up from throwing pinches of salt into a bowl, frowning at the javelin, "No, I think I won that against some douche in a drunk poker game, like, 10 years ago. Why?" He asked.

Sam looked from the angel blade to the spear, smiling slightly as an idea popped into his head. He pressed the hilt of the blade against the tip of the javelin, closing his hands over them tightly. He had no idea if what we was about to try would work, but it was worth a shot. Closing his eyes, Sam pictured what he wanted to happen in his head, trying to make it as vivid as possible before reaching out to Gabriel's grace. His soul drew energy from it once more, pulsating through him like electricity. It didn't hurt, but it didn't exactly feel pleasant, either. He felt a gentle heat against the palms of his hands, and when he opened his eyes, he had to stop his own jaw from dropping.

The hilt and handle of the archangel blade had melted into the spear, the metals welding together so that they were connected. The blade's pointed edge was unaffected, and Sam grinned as he tested the feel of his new creation. It felt heavy, but not too heavy- just the right amount of mass to it, the right type of balance.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the weapon, peeling what looked like a ginger root. "What, are we playing angelic track and field now?" He quipped, "What the hell is that?"

Sam twirled the spear in his hands, looking at the angel. "If you think I wanna stand two feet in front of an angel that's trying to kill us, you're crazy." He said, "My dad always told us that distance was key when fighting. It's better to stay as far away from your opponent as possible."

Gabriel forced himself to hold back a comment about John Winchester's parenting. He'd seen a summary of Sam's childhood when they bonded, his grace melding through all the layers of his soul. He'd seen how John treated Sam when he was younger, how he became so consumed with catching a demon that he no longer cared about how he affected his own son. Teaching your child how to fight and kill when they turned 13 was just a fraction of the many scars John left on his sons. And while Gabriel knew the man wasn't a bad human being, that didn't make him feel any less resentment towards him for hurting Sam.

"It's clever, I'll give you that." Gabriel told him, tossing the ginger root into the bowl. "All we need now is my grace, and we'll be ready to go." He said, brushing his hands off.

A sudden heaviness fell upon the room as they both came to the realization that this was it. They were about to leave, and quite possibly never come back. They were going to destroy Michael, whether it left them alive or not, but that did little to ease the feeling of sorrow that settled on Sam like a blanket. _God, Dean, please forgive me for this,_ he thought, knowing his brother was probably pissed as hell. He could almost see Dean now, running frantically throughout the bunker while he and Cas made futile attempts to locate him and Gabriel. His heart ached for them, and it worsened when he remembered that he never got to say goodbye. What were the last words he said to his older brother? 'Good night'? 'See you tomorrow'? He didn't even remember.

"I have enough to keep it open for around 36 hours, give or take," Gabe said, shaking Sam from his thoughts, "I'll ward the place like hell before we leave, but no one should know where we are to mess with it, anyways."

Sam was frozen in place, only able to nod numbly. It had been a while since he had an episode like this, one that left him suffocated in panic. They'd gotten worse since he got back from hell.

"Sam?" Gabriel asked, looking up in concern when he didn't get a reply. The hunter was standing stiff and silent, eyes wide as he took shallow breaths. Gabriel flinched when he felt how troubled Sam's soul was, trembling and panicked.

He wrapped his grace around Sam's soul desperately, willing the pain to go away. The idea of a soul as pure and strong as his in pain was enough to make Gabriel abandon his care for reputation, and he enveloped the taller man in a warm embrace, holding him close while rubbing his back.

"Gabe," Sam managed to choke out, embarrassment flushing his cheeks as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He didn't care. He was just so fucking _scared._ So scared and tired, tired of losing and tired of watching his loved ones die. He let the last small wall of doubt he had towards Gabriel crumble, and he leaned into the embrace. He didn't even notice that the figure was now holding _him_ instead of the other way around, Gabriel having shifted to his true form so that he could better hold his human.

Feathers that smelled of smoke and grace surrounded him in a warm cocoon, and that long, stick-like skeletal hand nudged him forwards, holding him against the humanoid face. Sam didn't care if it was rushed, or girly or awkward or any of that crap. He clung on to the mask like face for dear life, feeling the warmth of the liquid like sensation pulsate beneath him. Those giant eyes full of stars looked… sad? They blinked at him in concern, but Sam didn't have the guts to look back. He stayed with his face buried against the angels cheek, eyes screwed shut.

It was only then when he heard it. It was a sound, but also a sensation, like being swaddled in freshly dried laundry. The thousands of voices were _singing._ Singing to _him,_ a wordless song of a melody that Sam couldn't describe if his life depended on it. His soul paused its sorrow just to listen to it, pitches swaying from high to low in a rhythmic rocking, and it was the most _beautiful_ thing Sam had ever heard. It was so full of love, so full of every good thing that there ever was, that Sam's tears of anguish were replaced with hysteric tears of joy. It was light and grace all at once, and he could breathe again as the suffocating panic fled from him.

He gasped a wet breath, opening his eyes to stare up at the faces, reverently going to touch and hold each one. He buried his hands in the buffalo's fur, grasping its ribbed horns of strength. He stroked the lions mane, the pelt glowing with stardust beneath his hands. He stroked the smooth, sharp beak of the eagle, watching as his touch caused ripples in the celestial skin. And he fell back to the human like mask face, holding it and stroking it with his palm, his other hand gripping the angels four foot tall pinky finger.

"I love you." He whispered softly, voice off key and rough with tears as the singing continued.

The feathers surrounding him shuddered, the eyes of the mask face glowed brighter. "I love you, too." Gabriel replied, but not with words. The meaning and the statement were conveyed from grace to soul, filling Sam's very being at the core, "I have always loved you. Since you were just an idea in my father's head, I have loved you. And I will never stop."

Sam pushed away all the thoughts of Michael and the other world and their impending doom. He pushed away the fears and doubts he had about destroying the corrupted archangel. There would be time for that later. But in that moment, Sam just wanted the present to last forever. He didn't dare think it was too good to be true, because it was realer than anything he ever felt in his life.

The voices were still singing, cooing in every pitch and tone. But Sam's ears perked up when he suddenly realized that he could _understand them._ They were repeating the same thing over and over again, in a unified melody of an infinite number of languages: " _And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings, for only good things shall come to those who seek_ _out the love of my father."_

Sam listened, every fibre of his being content to forever. If only they had that long.


	12. Chapter 12

Sam felt a massive sense of loss and longing when the singing stopped, desperate to hear just one more chorus of heavenly voices. It had momentarily taken away all the pains of life, soothing Sam's soul to the point where he felt nearly boneless. Gabriel _loved_ him. He'd actually told him he _loved_ him. The idea of those words directed towards Sam made him feel like the most important person in the world, made him rethink some of his self loathing. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as bad as he thought he was. If such a beautiful creature could love him so, maybe it was possible that he _wasn't_ just a screw up who unleashed the devil on the world and started the apocalypse. That possibility caused a new flame of hope to reignite within him, and he was ecstatic. He didn't know until that moment that he could feel such a strong sense of love for anyone other than Dean, and even then, it wasn't the same type of love. It was brotherly, but it was also comradeship, so fierce and so strong that all the power of heaven couldn't break it.

He _loved_ Gabriel, this quirky archangel who'd wormed his way into their lives all those years ago. He wanted nothing more than to spend all of eternity basking in the warm light of the angel, his hypnotic grace humming steadily. This ancient, powerful being who'd seen everything come into being from nothing. He wanted to protect and hold this beautiful thing close to him, wanted it to be by his side forever. A small part of him wished Gabriel would take off the mask he wore when he interacted with the world, step out of his vessel and show everyone his true colors, how full of love he was towards every living thing. Sam had felt that part of him, felt the portion of his grace that was so committed and enchanted by humans and mankind in general, the portion of him that thought humans were precious and beautiful and so, so wonderful.

The young hunter wanted to stay cocooned in that embrace. It was just him and Gabriel in their own little world, surrounded by nothing but the want to love and be loved. It was beautiful and it was real, not some illusion that a monster could conjure to bring momentary happiness. This type of joy seeped into the very core of Sam's soul, soaking into it and healing any doubts he had about himself.

But now he was back in the real world, and he knew they had to face Michael. And although he was still nervous, Sam's panic was long gone, quelled by the knowledge that even if he died, he'd be with Gabriel forever. That was enough for him, that was _more_ than enough.

Sam took a second to catch his breath when reality returned to him, when he saw that Gabriel was in his vessel again and was staring at him intently.

"You ready, now, Sammy?" He asked softly, whiskey colored eyes gentle.

Sam smiled, a genuine smile for the first time in months. He grabbed the angel blade spear from the table, looking to Gabe with sureness. "Let's go." He said, and he watched as his angel withdrew a vial of that beautiful grace and poured it into the bowl, sparking to life with an energetic 'crack'. The rift appeared before them seconds later, that familiar orange portal splitting out of thin air.

The two men exchanged one last glance before diving in, leaving their one way back to the world alone, guarded only by the warding and the howling arctic wind.

* * *

They arrived in a different location than last time, and Sam was suddenly unsure of where they were. It looked like some sort of desert landscape, barren and cold like the rest of the other world. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, and there wasn't a person in sight.

" _Is it an understatement to say that Michael screwed this place over?"_ Gabriel asked mirthlessly, and Sam turned to his left to see the enormous dragon standing beside him.

"Why're you in your warrior form?" He questioned, confused but delighted at the same time.

" _In case you haven't noticed, samsquatch, not all of us are as gigantic as you. This way, I'm not as vulnerable."_ Gabriel answered, nostrils huffing at the question as though Sam had made a direct insult towards his vessel's smaller stature.

Sam shrugged, grabbing his gun and spear as lightning flashed in the distance. "Where are we?" He wondered aloud, looking for any sort of landmark that could give them a clue as to what their location was. This looked nothing like the forest clearing they'd originally arrived in. Come to think of it, Sam didn't see a single tree at all.

Gabriel shrugged his enormous shoulders, long tail flicking at the tip. " _I don't know… but don't use your GPS!"_ He said hurriedly.

Sam raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?" He frowned, "I thought that was kinda my thing."

Gabriel chuffed absently, air whistling through the gaps of the large fangs in his mouth. Sam couldn't help but notice the random animal-like noises the angel seemed to be making involuntarily. " _Whenever you use that, you're tapping into angel radio. Every other angel can hear you using it and can track us. We're going to have to solve this the old fashioned way._ " Gabriel explained, earning a puzzled look from Sam. He awkwardly walked on the bend of his wings, shifting all his weight to the side so he was situated next to the young hunter. " _All aboard the Gabe express,"_ the archangel said, and lowered a shoulder blade so that Sam could climb up onto his back.

Sam's eyes widened in realization. They were going to fly. A slight flame of nervousness sparked in the pit of his stomach. Even though it was always Dean who had the fear of heights (which Sam later teased him mercilessly for), Sam couldn't deny that flying hundreds of feet in the air on the back of a giant celestial dragon was probably pretty fucking dangerous. He gulped hesitantly, feeling conflicted. At the same time, he wanted to feel that sense of freedom and unfiltered joy that must come from soaring through the air with his angel. If it felt as awe-striking as it looked, then he'd probably never had a more epic experience in his life. "W-What are we going to do about the rift?" Sam stammered, gesturing to the portal, "We can't just leave it here in the middle of nowhere! Anything could just cross over and get into our world!"

Gabriel gave him a knowing look, smirking as much as a dragon could. " _You really think I'd leave without taking some precautions? Have a little faith in me, Sambo!"_ He exclaimed, " _Before we left I used a little security trick I learned when I was Loki. There's a warding back in our living room that's in tune to the energy signatures of our grace and soul. If anything climbs back through there that's not us, the sigil's will know it and blast 'em back here before you can even blink."_

Sam struggled to keep his mouth from dropping open, continuously amazed at Gabriel's ingenuity. He knew he was clever (he was the trickster, after all), but apart from the time Sam had spent with him when he and Dean were trying to kill him, the hunter never really got to know him well enough to see how bright he was. He didn't give him nearly enough credit for his intelligence. "Gabe, that's… that's brilliant." Sam uttered, cocking his head as he looked at the angel.

Gabriel shrugged, eyeing the hunter nonchalantly. " _I know,"_ he said casually, the mischief in his voice obvious, " _I'm pretty awesome. Do me a favor and let Dean know? I think he tends to give me the short end of the stick. Now, are we going to leave or not?"_

Sam looked hesitant, standing awkwardly to the side and hoping his face didn't show how nervous he really was.

" _C'mon, kiddo, it'll be easier to know where we are with a bird's eye view,"_ Gabriel coaxed, huge feathers rustling slightly. " _I'll try to make it as smooth as I can."_

Sam took a deep breath, knowing this was the only way. They didn't have time to wander aimlessly on foot for miles. He slid his backpack and gun further up on his shoulder before walking over to the outstretched wing, absently wondering if it hurt Gabriel when he climbed up him like grappler. He had to suppress a gasp when he gripped the dragons scaly shoulder for support, that other worldly sensation of warmth and grace pulsing beneath his fingers like electric waves. It made his heart skip a couple beats, his breath hitching. Pushing himself further up, he climbed over the spiky like aerodynamic fins so that he was seated on Gabe's mid back, gripping him tightly as he braced for takeoff.

" _You good, sammich? I won't leave until you say so."_ Gabriel asked, a chirping sound coming from deep within the dragon's throat. It sounded so much like that of a bird that Sam had to stifle a chuckle, wondering if the angel even knew he was making those sounds.

Sam swallowed and nodded, the fear subsiding as he felt his soul latch onto Gabriel's grace firmly, fitting together like puzzle pieces. It felt right, like they were made to meld as one. He let the bond's instinct kick in as he looked forward, eyes flashing electric blue momentarily before whispering, " _fly."_

Obeying the command from his rider, Gabriel's grace kicked into action and he leaned forward on his haunches, the starlight that glazed his wings rippling. In just two strong beats of his wings, Gabriel felt his taloned feet lift off the ground and into the air.

Sam thought his stomach was going to drop straight to his feet at the swooping sensation, leaving the earth and rocketing into the sky. Adrenaline, terror, joy and freedom raced through his mind all at once. The feeling of the wind sweeping through his hair and enveloping his body was one of pure liberation. He felt like he was leaning his entire body out the window of the impala as Dean drove her as fast as she could go. Gabriel's body was surprisingly steady beneath him as he flapped his enormous wings, feathers gliding effortlessly over the air.

Sam watched as the ground below them grew smaller, and that greyish hue of the Other World's sunlight touched his face as the horizon came into view. He could see for miles and miles on end, the landscape stretching out before them like a painting's canvas.

" _Do you see anything_?" Gabriel asked as they flew, his long, spiked neck outstretched as he scanned the landscape.

" _No,"_ Sam replied telepathically, since he didn't think he had the strength to shout over the roar of the wind in his ears. He peered over Gabriel's side to watch for anything unusual. There was nothing, only that strange desert like turf that continued to swallow the world.

" _Damn,"_ Gabriel muttered, " _it looks like we landed in the middle of some dried up ocean."_

Sam was about to reply when something off in the distance caught his eye, a fleck of black in the left corner of his vision. " _Wait, what's that?"_ He asked, daring to lift his arm off the iron grip it had on Gabe's back so he could point in the direction.

Gabriel looked over where Sam was pointing, and the young hunter held on for dear life as they made a left turn.

" _Good eye,"_ Gabe said, squinting harder so he could see better, " _is that a… is that a church?"_ He asked as they got closer.

Sam gazed downwards as they approached it, and sure enough, it was what looked to be the remains of some decimated chapel. Wooden boards were strewn about as the walls had been torn down in some spots, and the roof was all but caving inwards. A small stone cross was the only thing that let people know what it used to be, having somehow escaped the destruction of whatever had torn the church apart.

" _We should stop here,"_ Sam said, " _maybe someone left behind a map or something we could use."_

Gabriel hesitated, circling over the chapel for a moment instead of landing. " _I don't know, Sammy, I don't think I can fit in there,"_ he said, his voice actually apprehensive.

Sam rolled his eyes, " _C'mon, Gabe, you can shift back for five minutes while we check the place out. Nothing will happen in five minutes."_ He said, a small part of his brain yelling not to jinx them.

Gabriel huffed but relented, flapping his wings to cushion their landing as they came into contact with the ground. " _That's what they all say, and it never ends well."_ He muttered, watching Sam climb down to the ground, making sure he was a good enough distance away before shifting back to his vessel warily.

Sam wanted to reassure him that it would be fine, that he was being a little too on edge, but he couldn't even say that because it was true. They were completely exposed out here, having no idea what or who lurked in this part of the dimension. He gripped his spear for assurance, the archangel blade glinting in the light.

"Sam!" Gabriel yelled suddenly, standing in the doorway of the church rigidly.

Snapping his head up at the sound of Gabriel's calls, Sam cocked his gun and sprinted over to the angel, ready to fight. He was about to ask what was wrong, when his eyes fell on what Gabriel was staring at in horror.

There were no warriors ready to attack them, instead a man (human by the look of how much blood was on the floor), lay slumped against the wall. His breaths were shallow, and his eyes lifted to look up at them sluggishly. He smiled a bloodstained grin, causing a shiver to run through Sam. "You'd better run," the man croaked, a wheezy laugh escaping with a splatter of blood, "he's coming." He whispered, and with those words and one last breath, he shuddered and died.

Sam could only stare with wide eyes, confused and terrified all at once. Blood had flowed through a wound in his stomach, presumably killing him, but there were no weapons in sight. Had he killed himself? Or did he just wander into the church to die? His words haunted Sam, and the young hunter didn't have to guess who the man was referring to when he said 'He'.

Gabriel was standing over the body, eyes staring at it intently. He rested two fingers on the man's forehead briefly, before snatching his hand back like he'd been burned. He looked at Sam somberly, shoulders still rigid. "He wasn't killed by Michael… but it was one of his angels. The corruption in the residual grace is more than enough." He said.

Sam sighed, eyes resting on the man whose name they never knew, slumped over in his own blood. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the familiar sound of flapping wings. The two looked at each other briefly before their eyes darted to the doorway, knowing all too well what lay on the other side.


	13. Chapter 13

The squad of Michael's angels looked like overdressed police officers, standing stiffly in a squad formation as they stared at Sam and Gabriel. Sam was frozen, fear threatening to claw its way out of his throat. This wasn't supposed to happen, not this soon, at least! How had they even found them? They hadn't even tried tapping into angel radio, there should have been no way for them to be tracked down.

"You are trespassing on this land," the head angel said fiercely, his armored minions poised aggressively behind him, "the penalty is death. Identify yourselves!"

Gabriel, to Sam's utter surprise, didn't seem fazed at all. He almost looked _bored,_ in fact. He rolled his eyes and stood with his arms folded, tisking in an admonishing fashion at the angels. "You kids need to remember to stop playing with daddy's toys. They don't belong to you." He scolded in a mock sing song voice, and the angels looked at each other briefly, confused. They could sense that this being was one of them, but he was acting so human like.

"Identify yourselves!" The lead angel commanded again, his posture more tense. The rest of the angels behind him stood steady, their pupils beginning to glow that dangerous blue. They were preparing to smite.

Sam was desperately trying to reach for his gun without drawing attention to himself, while simultaneously wanting to open his mouth to ask Gabriel what the hell he thought he was doing. It would be tragic, to say the very least, if they died before even finding Michael. The words the dying man had spoken kept reverberating through his skull, and although it was possible he was lying, it was Sam's experience that generally dead men tell no tales.

But his worrying train of thought was cut off by the thundering voice of Gabriel's warrior form. It shook the ground, and the lead angel's hard expression faltered for a moment, replaced by one of shock and surprise. " _You're just young children playing with fire."_ Gabriel growled, " _Time to grow up."_

Sam's mind struggled to wrap itself around just how quickly Gabriel had shifted, because when he glanced to his left, the shorter man was no longer there. The large dragon was in his place, appearing after a fraction of a second. It's amber wings were flared out in a display of dominance, showing his years of seniority and power. They never failed to take Sam's breath away, even when they were in a dire situation like this.

The angels barely had time to gaze up in disbelief and fear, because moments later they dissolved under the blue flames of Gabriel's fiery grace, their vessels crumbling into ashes. The dragon's mouth was stretched wide open, its fangs bared as pure light illuminated them. The beast roared in finality as it finished breathing fire, looking to the former angel's piles of dust in satisfaction.

Sam was gaping at him, eyes wide. He'd just taken out five full strength angels, saving both their lives in under a minute. Dean would be jealous. What was even more remarkable, though, was that he did such a thing without Sam's invoking of the command. Sam didn't even mind speak this time, let alone give an order. He had been stuck, too frozen in fear to think clearly.

" _Talk about a bunch of dicks,"_ Gabriel muttered, irritated as he flicked his tail at the ashes, " _did you hear that guy? He sounded like a character out of a bad shakespeare reenactment. I hope you didn't let 'em scare you too bad, Samshine."_

Sam stared up at his angel in awe, the tiniest quirks of an amazed smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "How did you do that?" He asked, "without me telling you, I mean?"

The archangel paused for a moment, as if he was caught off guard by a question he didn't know the answer to. " _Hmm,"_ he murmured in contemplation, " _I guess I was just so worried about you, I kind of did it without really thinking."_

Sam definitely didn't miss the protective tone in that statement, his soul beaming a little at the thought of his angel getting all worked up over his safety. He settled for resting a hand on the tip of Gabriel's snout, stroking it affectionately. The dragon leaned into his touch and chirped, a loud and high pitched trill like that of a bird, and this time, Sam couldn't suppress the laugh that made its way out of his chest. It was something one would hear from a dove cooing early in the morning.

" _What?"_ Gabriel asked insecurely, as though he was suspecting Sam of laughing at his appearance. His vessel's tiny statue always made him more self conscious, even though many angels were vain creatures to begin with.

"Nothing, you're perfect," Sam said hurriedly without thinking, just wanting his angel to quickly dispel the thought that he was anything but amazing, "just… why do you make those noises?"

Sam thought that if he could've, the dragon would have blushed. His feathers ruffled slightly and he bowed his enormous head. " _I, uh,"_ he stammered lowly, " _I can't really control those. No angel can. They just kind of happen."_

The young hunter couldn't help it. He managed to contain the smallest of giggles, sparing Gabe just a bit of embarrassment. _That's fucking adorable,_ he thought to himself, eager to tell Dean that the mightiest soldiers of the lord really sounded like a mix of birds and whales. It seemed harsh, but he had to admit it was true. They chirped and cooed, and at one point Sam even thought he heard a 'barking' noise.

He wanted to stay with his palm resting on the dragon's snout, talking and listening and learning. He wanted to hear every sound and angel could make and know the meaning behind each one. But their current situation quickly caught up with them, and he cleared his throat nervously, remembering the words the dying man had just told them. "We need to go," he said decidedly, not thinking twice as he climbed onto Gabe's back, "there'll probably be more angels coming, and you heard what the guy said- Michael's nearby."

Gabriel chuffed in agreement, craning his neck to look up at Sam with those bottomless eyes. " _You're right- but how do we know where to go? The poor dude kicked it before we could ask him where Michael's hideout is._ " He said, confused.

Sam furrowed his brows as the desert wind whipped his hair around, frustrated that he couldn't tap into angel radio. "This would be so much easier if I could just use my GPS." He said flatly, wracking his brain for alternate ideas.

" _I know_ ," Gabriel tried to console, " _but it's not worth it, kiddo. I don't know how those amateurs found us,_ " he gestured to the ashes of the dead angel squad, " _but if we use angel radio, we're guaranteed to have Michael and his armies hunting us down. And we're supposed to be the hunters, not the hunted._ "

Sam sighed, resigning himself to the fact that they'd just have to keep going and hope something else turned up soon. "Alright," he murmured, gripping the scales of Gabriel's back firmly, " _fly."_

The dragon crooned and soared into the air, the initial feeling of being weightless starting to become less scary to Sam. The wind howled around him as they flew, and Sam dutifully looked for any sign of civilization. The best possible result they could get would be if they found a camp of hunters, similar to the one Mom and jack were at, who could assist them in locating and taking out Michael. But that was a far cry from the barren landscape they were in now, and Sam knew they'd be lucky to even find a sign of life out here. And as the seconds ticked into minutes, and the minutes ticked into hours, Sam started to feel himself grow drowsy. The body beneath him was warm and firm, and he was fighting to keep his eyes open.

" _How long have we been flying?_ " Sam asked drowsily, shaking his head to rouse himself.

" _A couple of hour- oh, thank dad, look, Sam!"_ Gabriel exclaimed, stopping mid sentence to grab at Sam's soul with his grace and show him the direction he was talking about.

Sam snapped his head up to see what Gabriel was referring to, and he wanted to cry out in joy. A forest, teeming with as much life as anything could in this dead world, towered off in the distance, marked by a winding river that snaked around its border.

" _You think Michael is anywhere near here?"_ Sam asked, hoping that the ex archangel had maybe a refuge set up in a place where there was better coverage.

Gabriel chuffed, flapping his giant wings more slowly as they approached the forest, preparing to land. " _You need a few minutes of shut eye."_ He declared, purposefully not answering Sam's question, " _Then we can look for my big bro."_ He said.

" _What?!"_ Sam exclaimed, " _No way! We don't have time to take a fucking nap, we barely have 30 hours left! We need to find Michael before he finds a way to open his own rift, one that will actually let him through!"_

Treetops flew by as they got lower and lower to the ground, a small clearing making its appearance known. " _You're about to drop, Sam a Lam,"_ Gabriel stated seriously, " _we'll only stop for an hour or two at most. You need to rest your eyeballs."_

" _But Michael-"_

" _How do you expect to find him when you can't even sit up straight?"_ Gabriel pointed out.

Sam opened his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it when he noticed his own exhaustion. Gabe was right- he was slouching in a half lying position, limbs heavy and deadweight. His head kept lilting to the side, and he barely had a grip on the scales anymore. He wasn't in any condition to find Michael, let alone fight him.

The sound of branches snapping echoed through the woods as Gabriel landed in the clearing, which wasn't quite big enough for him. He made room by crushing half a dozen trees under his mammoth sized claws, smoothing out the earth below them like a wrinkled cloth. He flexed his feathered wings, making sure they had enough space before circling like a dog and laying down. He lowered his haunches, allowing Sam to slip down to the ground.

"You do realize this is like looking for a the needle in a haystack, right?" Sam asked, sitting down cross legged on the forest floor. "We have no idea where Michael is, and we won't be able to find him unless you let me detect a presence."

Gabriel circled his body around Sam, effectively trapping him in a protective guard of scales and glowing wings. " _It's not as hopeless as you think,"_ he chuffed, nudging Sam to lay down with his snout, " _if I know my brother, he'll be bringing out all the bells and whistles to recruit people for his fight. Michael doesn't like to do anything without putting on a show."_

"What do you mean?" Sam questioned, lying down with his back against the dragons side, still keeping a grip on his spear. He felt a playful shove of Gabriel's grace, like an older sibling ruffling the youngers hair.

" _Michael's always been a public speaker. Rally the troops, unite the warriors, that type of thing."_ Gabriel reminisced, " _it's what made him so popular upstairs. It's easy to get behind him when he opens his mouth, he convinces you that he's got your best interests at heart."_

The young hunter scoffed at that, gesturing to the dilapidated world around them, "So you think we'll just stumble upon one of his pep rallies?" He asked, not even batting an eye as he tugged the edge of a large wing over him like a blanket. He'd never live this down if dean saw him in a position like this.

" _Most likely."_ Gabriel answered, " _Something similar. Like I said, he'll be looking for recruits, even humans. He'll manage to spread the word in a way no one can ignore."_

Sam frowned bitterly, turning to lay on his side. "No human, corrupt or not, would ever volunteer for him. When you say recruit, you mean enslave." He huffed, absently relishing in the warmth that radiated from the being beneath him. He felt a pang of sadness, however, when he noticed that Gabriel's grace had wilted slightly at the statement. Feelings of wistfulness and nostalgia mixed with sadness, rippling through Sam's soul like water. It was easy for him to forget just how much the archangel missed his family. That was definitely something Sam could relate to, and he suddenly felt a twinge of guilt at the fact that he and Dean had once accused Gabriel of being a coward, of running away when everyone needed him most. Now Sam could understand, and he really couldn't blame him. It was hard to watch the people you loved fighting, killing each other, even. It'd been difficult enough to witness when Dean and Cas had their brief falling out.

" _You're right,"_ Gabriel admitted, " _he's too far gone now. Hell, this isn't even the real Michael. Not even close to the one I used to know."_

The unspoken words lingered as Sam fell asleep, ' _I just wish for a moment that it was.'_


	14. Chapter 14

Sam was amazed by just how tired he truly was. He slept deep and dreamlessly, his body soaking up every ounce of rest it could before he was woken, Gabriel gently nudging him with his snout.

" _Sammy… wake up, kiddo, I think I can sense a presence on Michael."_ Gabe said softly, not wanting to jostle his human too much. If he was being honest, he'd picked up on the arch angel's grace about thirty minutes ago. But it was faint and more distant then than it was now, and Sam needed more sleep than he'd let on.

Sam's eyes snapped open at the statement, and he practically jumped to his feet in a single movement. Swaying uneasily on his sleep-lax legs, he gripped the spear for support as it leaned against the ground. He looked at Gabe in disbelief, as if the angel should have woken him sooner. "What?" He demanded, "Where?"

The dragon's nostrils flared, sniffing as if trying to pick up a trail. " _I'm not exactly sure, but I can feel it. He's close by."_ Gabriel said, galaxy filled eyes blinking rapidly.

"How long was I asleep?" Sam questioned nervously, praying it wasn't too long. This was their chance, and they had to jump on it.

" _About an hour."_ The angel answered dutifully, trying and failing to suppress a smirk when Sam's eyes almost bugged out of his head. He whipped out his phone to check the timer, hoping it wasn't true and wondering why Gabriel was being so nonchalant about things. The screen on his cell read his greatest fears in bold lettering: 29 hours. 29 hours left to kill Michael, make sure he's dead, get back to the rift and seal off the world forever.

The young hunter spun around to Gabriel. "Why didn't you- how could you- ugh!" He groaned, realizing they didn't even have enough time for him to get frustrated. _Which I have a right to,_ he thought begrudgingly.

Gabe stood perched on his talons, looking almost amused at the human. Sam absently wondered how it was possible for such a powerful, beautiful creature to look both indescribably regal and fucking amused at the same time. "Why aren't you taking this more seriously?" Sam demanded, grabbing the spear and slinging his bag over his shoulder.

The archangel lowered a shoulder blade for him to climb up on, making that cooing noise again from deep in the dragon's throat. " _Because Michael isn't that far away, Samshine."_ He said calmly, eyeing the hunter for a reaction.

Sam raised an eyebrow, confused. "What?" He breathed, "What are you talking about?"

" _According to his grace signature, I'd say he's in about a… two mile radius?_ " Gabriel replied.

Sam balked, scrambling up to rest on the dragon's back, grabbing a shaky hold of the spiraled horns. Two miles? The ultimate form of destruction, the very thing they were risking their lives to destroy was only _two miles?_ The gas station in Lebanon, Kansas was two miles! Dean's favorite diner in Sioux falls was two miles! Michael was _not_ supposed to be this easy to find. And if he was that close, who knew what kind of danger they were in? The archangel had his troops everywhere, and Sam didn't doubt that the ones he and his angel encountered earlier were only the tip of the iceberg.

"Well, let's go!" Sam exclaimed, not wasting any time to scold or question Gabriel. He could vent everything later- what mattered now was ahead of them. He checked to make sure that the archangel blade was still securely attached to the spear, that the welding hadn't come undone in any type of way.

" _Whoa, whoa, whoa,"_ Gabriel paused, refusing to move, " _what exactly is our plan, here, kiddo? Just bust in, guns blazing? That sounds more like Deano's style, not yours."_

Sam resisted the immense urge to roll his eyes, every minute they weren't moving towards Michael ticking against him like an irritating bug. It was true, he had to admit- he didn't really have an intricate plan laid out. He was so focused on simply finding the corrupt archangel, he hadn't really thought about how they would attack. He was supposed to be the "smart" one, the rational one who put thought into getting what they wanted. Gabriel was right, blind ambushing was more of Dean's style than his own. And sometimes, to his brother's credit, it did work. But it busting the door down without a plan always had it's risks and drawbacks, and this time, Sam knew it was a cost they couldn't afford.

"Alright," He said, forcing himself to take a deep breath, "what do you think we should do?" It could have been Sam's imagination, but he swore he felt Gabriel's grace brighten when the young hunter asked him for his input, his help.

" _From what I can pick up, and it's not much, Michael is surrounded by other angels."_ Gabriel said, trying his hardest to pick up more information from the faint buzz of the energy signature his not-brother was giving off.

"How many?" Sam asked, trying to gauge whether they should divide and conquer or not.

" _I don't know,"_ Gabriel muttered, chuffing frustratedly, " _the signal isn't all that great. The only thing I can tell for sure is that they're lower ranking angels, lower than seraphs. Probably just like the ones we ran into at the church."_

Sam's eyes brightened, hope springing up in his chest. They'd taken those guys out, no problem- if that was the only thing standing between them and Michael, then it would be easier than he thought. "That's great," he exclaimed, "then we can just blast them away and it'll be us and Michael."

Gabriel looked hesitant, his tail flicking back nervously. His lack of sureness was making him think twice, and he realized that was another thing the grace bond had done to him. Before, he would've gone into battle, no problem. Now, here he was, hesitating about something he never thought he would hesitate for. He had more to live for, now. He had Sam, Sam's life attached to his own. It made him realize just how little he cared whether he lived or died before. Maybe a part of him had wanted to die, all those years ago at the Elysian Fields motel when he tricked Lucifer, maybe a part of him was just so tired of the heartache, that he wouldn't have minded falling into an eternal slumber. But now he had Sam Winchester depending on him, and suddenly he was filled with a desire to survive that he hadn't felt in eons. " _I can't tell how many there are, though, Sammy,"_ He said quietly, " _what if there's an entire army waiting for us?"_

Sam laid his palm on the dragon's back, reaching out with his soul to nudge the archangel's grace. "Then we'll take them out together," he said, trying to make his voice sound as sure as possible, "you saw what we did back there. I know we can do this. We have to- for our family."

Gabriel reared his head back, craning his long neck so that he could face Sam. His giant eyes blinked at him with unreadable emotion, galaxies and nebulas shining brightly on display. Sam's breath hitched just staring at them, the amount of beauty and primordial wonder leaving him in awe. " _You're right, kiddo."_ he said, his thundering voice reverberating through Sam's mind and body, causing him to suppress a shudder. There was a long pause between them, the two just staring at each other, taking in the other's presence. Sam could feel the wavelengths of protectiveness and adoration flowing from Gabriel's grace, crashing over his soul like the ocean tide. He felt thousands of years of light and power cascade over him, the very essence of Gabriel surrounding him like a blanket. He suddenly felt very small in comparison to him, so young and insignificant whereas Gabriel was older than time itself, a witness to the creation of the universe. The angel spoke again, bringing the young hunter out of his thoughts and back to the real world. " _No matter what happens out there,"_ Gabriel murmured softly, " _just remember that… I love you."_

A silent choke caused Sam to freeze momentarily, taken aback by how raw and _true_ that statement was. He could feel the surety of the words in his soul, the fierceness of the meaning behind them. An angel of the lord _loved_ him. He didn't trust his voice to speak, but somehow the words came out, anyway.

"I love you, too, Gavri'el" he breathed, lips pursed as he swallowed his emotions. He didn't even notice that he'd spoken Enochian, said Gabriel's true name. The language had come to him the moment they were bonded, and strangely enough, he found himself having a hard time differentiating his thoughts between English and the angelic language. They stayed like that for what felt like ages, just staring at each other like it was the first time they'd seen themselves. In a way, it was. No words were spoken when they took off. They knew they were ready.

* * *

Michael stood proudly before his troops, satisfied at how they knelt before him in complete and undying fealty. This was his time to right what had been wronged, fix what had been broken. His father may have abandoned him, but he just knew that if he were still here, he'd approve of what his right-hand soldier had done. Michael took pride in always executing his orders the right way. The just way.

"Today, we leave this broken world behind to flourish in a new one." he announced, lifting his voice so that he could be heard. A true king was _always_ heard. "This new world will be fallen," he continued, watching the soldiers for any signs of doubt, "but we shall restore it in the eyes of God and make it new again. We shall cast out the evil from it like I cast the devil from Eden, and man will be pointed down the righteous path once more. I, Michael, second born of my father, rightful heir to creation and son of light and justice, conqueror of Lucifer and wielder of the flaming sword, will do this."

He paused to let his words be taken in, watching as the angels bowed and as lightning crackled in the distance. He had all the ingredients he needed to open the portal to this new world, his fool of an alternate brother having fallen for his plan. He was confident that once they remade this new earth in the righteous image, Lucifer would no longer be a problem. They'd see- they'd all see how he'd fix mankind, and no one would dare to cross his path. He moved to recite the spell, making sure all his troops were watching, before it happened.

The ground beneath them began to shake, and immediately, Michael knew something was wrong. The angels, while still kneeling, were looking around confused and unsure of what was happening. The grace signature was what hit him first. _No,_ he thought in disbelief, _it can't be… it's impossible, he's dead._

"Don't just stand there!" He barked at the angels, "Go! Protect your king-"

Michael was cut off by the eruption of earth and flames before him, throwing his vessel to the ground and drowning out all the sound around him. Before he even had time to process what was happening, he saw it. He saw something he never thought he'd see again.

His supposedly long dead brother was soaring high above them, his warrior form just as Michael remembered it. Only this time, something was _different._ He was powerful, far more so than he'd ever been in the past. His grace was practically booming instead of the steady, pathetic thrumming it used to be. It was like he'd been amplified, the weakest of the archangels becoming one of the strongest. Michael grit his teeth in fury, outraged at the unexpected turn of events. How dare his younger brother try and insult him so?! He got to his feet shakily, even more angered by what he saw next.

His soldiers were panicking like the idiots they were, trying futilely to stop what was above them. They were burning by the dozens, disintegrating beneath the pure flames of archangel grace. His top commanders fell, his most loyal scouts were killed, shriveling beneath the fire. Their vessels boiled and burst under the heat of the heavenly fire, blood splattering the ground while their grace escaped to The Empty.

"Don't just stand there, KILL HIM!" Michael shouted, commanding his remaining angels, "Obey your leader and KILL THE TRAITOR!"

But it was no use. The power the angels had was nothing compared to what they were fighting, and within minutes, Michael was left standing alone. The dragon had picked off every last angel, and nothing was left but a wall of flames where his followers once stood. Eyes on fire, he snapped his head up to watch as Gabriel landed, taloned feet crushing the skulls of the charred vessels that lay scattered on the ground.

* * *

It took them less than ten minutes to crush the small gathering of soldiers Michael had surrounded himself with. Sam watched and directed from his perch on Gabriel's back, looking down as the flames engulfed everyone below them. The smell of smoke and burnt human vessels wafted through the air, and if Sam was more aware, he would've been nauseous.

But he wasn't thinking about that. All he was thinking of, all he was focused on in mind and soul, was connecting his power to Gabriel's. He reached deep within his soul and gave the angel his strength, fueling the grace like coal to a furnace. He relished in the furious look on Michael's face, shocked and enraged by the unexpected interruption to his plans.

When the last of his followers had been killed, Sam instructed Gabriel to land, circling around to face Michael. The dragon touched the singed ground without any hesitation, a deafening roar escaping from it's jaws as it did so. It's wings flared in an involuntary display of dominance, all six of them unfolding to show its power. Sam smirked when he caught the nervous look that flashed across Michael's face. He clearly hadn't expected to be challenged by anyone this powerful, and Sam wondered if he even thought this kind of strength still existed.

Gabe cautiously lowered a shoulder blade, hissing lowly at his other-brother in a clear warning: don't try anything towards Sam Winchester. Sam slid effortlessly to the ground, smiling at the archangel's expression of disbelief.

"Hello, Michael." He smirked, spear in hand.

Michael quickly schooled his expression back to one of cold neutrality, eyeing Sam curiously. "A human that can witness an archangel's true form," he observed, slyly, "impressive. You're not from around here, are you, little mud monkey? You're one of those dimension travelers?"

Sam bristled at the insult, steeling his gaze as he looked at Michael. "You don't recognize me?" He questioned bitterly, walking closer to the archangel, "I would have thought you might." He said icily, watching Michael's every move.

Michael glanced at him in confusion for a brief second, before recognition and realization dawned over his features. "Winchester." He breathed, lip curled in disgust at him.

Sam smiled smugly, shrugging his shoulder. "In the flesh." He replied.

Michael opened his mouth briefly, as if he was about to say something, before he closed it and turned to the dragon. He smiled sarcastically at Gabriel, folding his arms in an expression of mock surprise. "And you must be the 'other' Gabriel!" He exclaimed, strolling towards the dragon. Sam raised his spear in warning, and Gabe hissed venomously at the archangel. "Even in an alternate universe, you always were the weak link." Michael ground out, staring at his brother with a calculating gaze. Sam tried to hold back a wince when he felt Gabriel's grace wince slightly at the statement, as if he actually believed Michael's words.

The darker man peered at him smugly, tilting his head. "Is this your imp?" He asked casually, gesturing to Sam as if he was an object, "I have to say, I'm a bit surprised. I never thought father would let you have a pet of your very own."

Gabriel growled low in his throat, baring his teeth at Michael. " _Leave him out of this."_ He snarled, tail swinging dangerously back and forth.

"Why?" Michael question simply, leaning back on his heels, "Clearly he's come to kill me. Aren't you going to protect your own flesh and blood?" He pleaded mockingly, "Your weak, abandoned shell of a brother?"

Gabriel held his gaze, never once looking away. " _You're not even that, anymore."_ He hissed, and Michael's facade fell at those words.

Sam knew what Gabriel was doing, and he hoped the could tell that he was following the lead. As Michael was distracted, trying to goad Gabriel on, Sam had the spear positioned in his hand, ready to throw while Michael's back was turned to him. He was struggling to get a good aim, prepared to pull his arm back to launch the javelin, when the archangel spun around and faced him with glittering blue eyes. He felt his airway close as he was lifted off the ground by his neck, choking and gasping before being thrown painfully to the ground. The last thing he heard was Gabriel's screaming as black dots started to cloud his vision.


	15. Chapter 15

Sam Winchester was no stranger to pain. He and Dean had gotten beaten and bruised countless times over the years, and the sensation started to become a routine part of their lives. Demons, monsters, ghosts, angels…. There was hardly a being alive that hadn't kicked their ass. For god's sake, he'd literally been to hell and back! But this pain was different. Michael was slowly suffocating the life from him, draining his strength like water going down a sink. And as he felt his airway seal up, the young hunter was tempted to give in to the beckoning blackness that began to form at the corners of his vision. Blissful, painless unconsciousness.

 _Sam! Wake up! Grab the spear!_ He felt Gabriel's grace tugging on his soul incessantly, refusing to let him fall asleep. Suddenly remembering the reason they were there in the first place, Sam summoned all of his strength to push against the invisible force holding him down. The force at which he broke through the barrier momentarily stunned Michael, and Sam gulped in air desperately.

Focusing all his willpower on intertwining his soul with Gabriel's, Sam ignored the aching pain that had settled in his bones from being tossed so carelessly to the ground. Staggering to his feet, he looked and saw his spear several meters away.

" _Distract him!"_ Sam yelled to Gabriel telepathically, sending a burst of strength to the archangel through their bond. He grit his teeth and started taking his opportunity when Michael turned his back to him once more.

The dragon roared deafeningly loud, baring its teeth and knocking Michael around while Sam frantically tried to crawl towards the spear. His legs refused to respond to his body's commands, limp from being starved of oxygen and the force of the blow. _C'mon, Sam, hurry up!_ He thought to himself, trying to imagine his father's ordering voice barking in his ears.

"Did you really think you could take me on?" Michael sneered, landing a solid hit on Gabriel's lower left wing. The dragon hissed in pain, persisting on trying to grab his other-brother in his powerful jaws. He didn't even bother breathing fire- flames of grace wouldn't work on an archangel.

"You always were the weak one, the _worthless one,_ " Michael growled, allowing his true form to manifest. "The extra accessory to Lucifer and I." His vessel shed and broke immediately as he towered in height, rising up to meet the enormous dragon's gaze.

Sam had to keep himself from getting distracted, momentarily dropping his jaw at the sight of Michael's true form. It wasn't that much taller than Gabriel's, but it was _bigger._ The stick-like limbs were thicker and stronger, and his wings were wider and broader. The archangel could have been beautiful, and Sam supposed that at one time, he might have been.

But unlike Gabriel's form, his appearance wasn't peaceful. That unique, softened glow was absent from him. Gabriel's features were softened and kind, regal and composed. Michael's were pointed and cold, tainted in some way that Sam couldn't name. He looked like a black and white copy of something that was meant to be in color. Perhaps the most disturbing thing that Sam noticed, were his eyes. The eyes of the humanoid face didn't shine with grace or galaxies like Gabriel's did- they were _empty._ Hollowed out like dead trees, an endless pool of nothingness. There were no gleams of starlight or hum of power. It was like something had taken him and poured out all of what made angels _angels,_ and left the husk of a shell in its place.

Gabriel roared again, diving his head closer to him and clamped his jaw shut over the archangel's leg-like limb, glowing teeth scissoring down on it. Michael howled in pain and anger, lifting his impossibly long arm and striking Gabe across the face.

Panting with effort, Sam forced himself to crawl faster. The spear was only a few feet away, and, ignoring the shooting pain in his shoulder, he stretched out his hand as far as it would reach to grab the javelin.

That's when he felt it happen. It was like one of his own limbs had been cut off. The pain caused him to scream himself hoarse, eyes darting to see which one of his legs he had lost. But when he saw that he was unharmed, his face twisted in confusion. The dragon was keening out in pain, a high pitched frequency that Sam was sure would burst glass and the eardrums of any ordinary human. Gabriel's grace was thrashing in agony, causing Sam's soul to bounce around like a ship at sea. Everything felt _wrong,_ like the very balance of life itself had shifted. Sam looked up and gazed upon what was easily one of the most horrifying sights he'd ever seen. Michael was holding his sword, spindly hand clutching the hilt, and the dragon was missing one of its gorgeous wings. The right appendage of his second set of wings lay separated from its body on the earth, a mess of blood and feathers. The shoulder where Michael had sliced it off was bleeding a sickening mix of grace and blood, gushing forth from the exposed flesh and tendons like a geyser. A breathtaking flurry of motions hit Sam all at once, making him dizzy with grief and nausea. He felt like a part of him had been ripped away, like the wing had been it's own individual, someone he'd come to love. It's feathers no longer shined, having been severed from its host, an the glow that filled Gabriel's wings was absent in it, leaving it a sickening gray.

In the midst of the chaos and pain, somehow Gabriel's voice managed to make it through Sam's head. " _Keep going,"_ he voice was a faint croak, but Sam could understand, " _get the spear."_ Sam blinked back the tears that had been unknowingly careening down his face. Forcing himself to continue, he crawled faster towards the spear, focused on the object with all his might.

"You foolish, disobedient son!" Michael thundered at the dragon's writhing form, and his voices were nothing like Gabriel's. They were all scratchy and shrill, shrieking more than talking, "You dare disrespect your brother!"

Gabriel's eyes flashed with grace, and in an instant, he was no longer the dragon but his true self. Sam's soul felt him shift, change into the celestial being he truly was. He rose to his true height, at least several stories tall, and his remaining wings flared out in fury. "You." He rasped, and shoved Michael back hard, jabbing him in the chest, "Are not." He shoved him again, sending shock waves of force through the corrupted archangel, "MY BROTHER!" He screamed, and using all the grace he had, Gabriel threw Michael off his feet, sending the archangel tumbling through the air.

Sam doesn't really remember the next few moments. They happened in a haze, like he was watching them, but not really living them. He saw Michael's huge form dropping to the ground, shock on his mask like face as he lost his balance. Sam grabbed the spear and jammed it into the ground. He pointed it towards the falling archangel, javelin positioned upwards. Forcing himself to his feet, he ran as far from the blade as he could, knowing he would be crushed by the massive being if he stayed.

The next thing he knew, Michael had landed heavily on the tip of the blade, the weapon slicing through his falling body and sinking through his chest as the gigantic being landed with a thud. The earth quaked when Michael hit the floor, shaking from every corner, throwing Sam off his feet and sending him tumbling back to the ground. Michael's voices screamed so loud that Sam had to cover his ears, howling and bellowing like an entire city's cries. A great wind blew through the air, nearly stealing Sam's breath away and knocking him over, drowning out any thoughts that were racing around in his brain. And then, just as quickly as they had come, the voices stopped. The wind ceased its howling, and the shrieking fell silent.

Ever so slowly, Sam lifted his shaking hands away from his ears and opened his eyes cautiously. He was kneeling on the ground, dry earth beneath him. The bottom of his jeans were dusted in a black powder, sparking slightly. He furrowed his brow and tentatively brushed his fingertips over it, following the pattern. The blackness was burned into the ground, winding several feet long around him, and Sam's eyes widened when he realized they were Michael's wing prints. His gaze followed the wings over to the still body, stuck forever in its grotesque true form. The eyes of all the faces were closed, the body dulled and grey. The skeletal hand was still clinging to the sword, giant appendages wrapped around the hilt in his last attempt to win. He was dead.

Sam huffed out a trembling breath, staring at the form in shock. He was afraid to move, waiting for the angel to burst back to life with more strength than before, saying that his death was just a trick. But the minutes ticked by, and the being never even twitched. He was gone, and it was done. They had done it. Wait… they… Gabriel…

"Gabe!" Sam shouted, remembering what had happened, clambering to his feet and whirling around to look for his angel.

The dragon and true form were gone, and in their place was Gabriel's human vessel, lying hunched on the ground. His sandy colored hair was disheveled, and although nothing appeared to be wounded on him physically, he was shaking and coated in sweat. Sam's heart dropped to his stomach and he ran to the angel, skidding to a halt and dropping to his knees beside him.

"Gabriel! Gabe, wake up! We did it, he's dead!" Sam exclaimed, cupping his cheek gently. _Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up._

Gabriel's eyes fluttered open, his face creased in pain as his gaze focused on Sam. "Sammich?" He croaked, smiling when he saw that the younger hunter was ok.

At that simple word, that silly nickname that Sam had once wished Gabe would stop calling him, the youngest Winchester fell apart. He closed his eyes in sorrow, tears falling against his will. Gabriel had lost a wing, one of the most important parts to an angel, and it was all his fault. He should've never let Gabriel try to distract Michael on his own, he should've stepped in and helped. He was so focused on getting the one thing they had that could Michael, that he'd let his angel pay the price. He felt the loss when Gabe's wing was severed, felt the overwhelming sweep of grief that the archangel experienced.

"I'm so sorry," Sam whispered brokenly, holding him close to his chest, "I'm sorry, Gabe. I never meant to leave you to fight him by yourself, I-I'm so sorry."

Gabriel exhaled shakily and rested a trembling hand on Sam's shoulder, trying to catch his breath. "It's not your fault," he breathed, trying desperately to reassure the man, "I promise it's not. I'll live, Sammy, I'm not… not gonna die. L-losing one wing c-can't kill me. I'll just be… out of commission, for a while, that's all. It wasn't one of my flight wings, I can still fly."

Sam shook his head miserably, refusing to look at the archangel. "I did this to you," he wept, guilt strangling him, "your wings are beautiful and wonderful and you'll never get that one back. I-I left you with him, I… I'm so sorry."

Gabriel tsked softly in disapproval, moving his hand to rest against Sam's neck. "It's not your fault, Sam," he repeated, "I chose to go up against him, you understand? It was my choice. I'll be fine, alright?"

Sam looked at him doubtfully, going to help him sit up. Gabriel coughed a couple of times, his breath hitching in his chest. He grabbed one of Sam's hands tightly, forcing the human to look at him. "Sam," he said seriously, making sure the man was listening to him, "it _wasn't_ your fault. I'm older than time itself, I'm grown enough to make my own decisions. You didn't leave me to do anything because _I_ chose to fight my brother. And look, we did it!" He exclaimed, gesturing to where Michael lay, wiping away tears from Sam's cheek, "You and me, kiddo, we saved the world!"

Sam laughed brokenly, trying his best to give Gabriel a smile. It was true, they had saved the world. Michael couldn't tear apart any more worlds, couldn't hurt any more people. He looked adoringly at his angel, guilt lessening as he was calmed by Gabriel's presence. They'd be alright. He knew they would be.

"We should go," Gabe said suddenly, grasping Sam for support as they stood up slowly, "more of his angels will be heading this way when they find out he's dead."

Sam's mouth went dry as he realized the situation they were in. "But Gabe," He stammered, "your wing- you're not well enough to fly us all the way back to the portal."

Gabriel smirked at the young hunter, swallowing down his dizziness. "We don't have to," He said, gesturing to the table of ingredients Michael had gathered to open his rift. "We use those, get back home, and seal off our rift and that one for good."

Sam didn't waste any time questioning him, instead taking Gabriel's arm around his waist and supporting him as they walked. He tried to keep his hands from shaking as he hurriedly mixed the objects together, mumbling the words of the spell he'd heard Rowena say under his breath.

The crackling portal appeared in front of them in under a second, wavering slightly as it suspended itself in the air. A thought suddenly struck Sam, and he squeezed Gabriel's bicep reassuringly before darting over to Michael's body where the spear was impaled.

Sam climbed up Michael's chest, the size of his torso being about a football field long and eight feet thick. He rushed over to where the spear was, and using all of his strength, Sam pulled the javelin out of the dead angel's flesh. The archangel blade glinted with that sickening mix of grace and blood, the last remnants of the other Michael.

Grabbing the spear, Sam rushed over to where Gabriel was waiting for him, slightly hunched over. He had every intention of figuring out how to heal an angels wound when they got home, refusing the thought of letting Gabriel use up his already fragile grace healing it by himself. "Let's go," he murmured, reaching for the angels hand again, only to see that Gabriel was distracted. He was looking over to where his severed wing lay, sad and lonely without its owner. Sam's stomach clenched at the sight, and he felt even worse when he realized that they were going to leave it here. Something that beautiful shouldn't have to be abandoned in a dead wasteland. But the idea of carrying a severed body part home was even worse, not to mention it would probably only serve to make Gabriel more upset. Fighting the urge to believe that it was his fault, Sam grabbed Gabe's hand gently and pulled him close.

"Are you ready?" He asked, giving Gabriel the opportunity to say if he wanted to hold on to the wing or not.

After a quiet pause, Gabriel nodded, tearing his eyes away from something that once bathed in the light of heaven. He squeezed Sam's hand slightly, reassuring the hunter that everything was alright, before the corner of his lips lifted up slightly.

"Let's go home." He said tiredly, his body still exhausted from the trauma of losing his wing. Sam didn't need to hear another word before pulling them both through the rift, taking them back home.


	16. Chapter 16

The second they blasted through the portal, Sam made quick work of sealing the other world away. He closed the channels, both the one they'd used originally and the one they'd created with Michael's ingredients, as fast as he could. He recited the words of the spell hurriedly, watching as both rifts crackled and sparked before dissolving into nothing.

Shoulders sagging with relief, Sam peered around the house cautiously. He searched each room for any creature that could have intruded while they were gone, gun pointed and ready. When he was convinced that the house was empty but for the two of them, he sighed heavily and tossed his gun and the still-bloodied spear on the floor. He still couldn't quite believe what they'd done. They'd killed Michael, and if Lucifer was still there, they'd sealed him away, too. He dared not let himself think it was over, because in the Winchester's lives, nothing ever was, but he took comfort knowing that they'd eliminated at least one threat for now.

Gabriel lay sprawled on the couch, eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. Sam felt guilt settle in his stomach once more, trying and failing to swallow it down. "Gabe?" He asked softly, going to sit on the edge of the couch next to him, "Are you OK?" It was a stupid question. Of course he wasn't ok, he'd lost a wing. _No,_ Sam thought angrily to himself, remembering the way Michael so viciously attacked his own brother, _he didn't lose it. It was stolen from him._

The young hunter expected Gabriel to be at the very least melancholy, to be angry or upset or depressed, which was why he was shocked at the angel's answer.

Gabriel's brows furrowed in slight confusion and surprise, looking down at himself before turning to Sam with a small smile. "You know what?" He breathed, a puzzled chuckle escaping him, "I am. I actually am. For once, I… I'm really ok, Sammy."

Sam stared at him worriedly, hoping that Gabriel hadn't gone hysterical in his grief despite the angel's genuine smile. "Are you sure?" He asked carefully, looking him over.

Gabriel nodded, still looking surprised at himself. "I don't know why, but I don't feel like I've lost anything." He said.

Sam licked his lips nervously, going to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Look, it's normal at first to think that if you ignore something, the pain'll go away, but-"

"But there is no pain." Gabriel interrupted, eyes widening in realization before looking up Sam in awe, "Sam," he gasped, "I think… I think you _are_ my wing."

The young hunter frowned in confusion. "What?" He asked, "What are you talking about?"

Gabriel still looked shocked, like he couldn't believe what was happening, "When we were grace bonded, I think you became like an extra wing. Wings aren't just physical things used for flying, they're part of an angel's grace. Especially the second set, the ones I normally tuck away. That's why I'm not still reeling from losing it, Sam, I never really did. You, your soul, actually, replaced the one I lost."

Sam had to keep himself from gaping, unable to really process what he'd just said. "B-but," he stammered, "but I _saw_ it die! I saw the wing get severed, it's gone!"

"The physical manifestation is," Gabriel corrected, "it always takes a while for those to show up."

Sam rubbed his aching forehead, trying to wrap his brain around everything that was happening. He didn't know what to make of what Gabriel was telling him- was the man simply delirious with grief and shell shocked from the near death experience? Or was what he was saying actually possible? _What am I saying, of course I believe Gabe,_ he thought tiredly to himself, _you can't make this stuff up- is my soul really that powerful, though?_ Sam didn't know, considering the fact that he'd never seen or come into contact with a human soul before. He was just glad that Gabriel wasn't hurting anymore.

"You're sure you don't need me to, you know, clean the wound?" Sam asked, wondering how he would even do that. Do angels get infections? Can you stitch up a celestial skin cut? All the possibilities and unknowns just made the hunter's head swim even more.

Gabriel shook his head no, unconsciously reaching between his shoulder blades. "Nah, it'll heal by itself." He replied. "And if I'm right, it won't take long for a new one to grow in from the power you're giving me."

Sam didn't say anything, letting his long hair fall over his eyes.

Gabriel frowned, raising an eyebrow at him. "You ok, kiddo?" He asked quietly, hoping Sam was just tired. They'd been gone in another dimension, battling mostly without sleep for a solid 24 hours. He didn't doubt that the man was exhausted. The winter wind rattled the window panes from outside, gently reminding them that they were still hidden from the world, far away in Iceland.

"Where do we go from here, Gabe?" Sam asked hoarsely, eyes red but not yet crying, "I mean, I'm glad we stopped Michael, and God, I'm thankful we're alive, but… But what now? We're still here, in the middle of nowhere, and everybody probably thinks we're dead. How the hell am I going to face everyone? Cas, my mom, Jack… Dean. What if someone is in danger looking for us? And Lucifer, we don't even _know_ where he is, and-"

"Sam!" Gabriel cut his tangent short, locking eyes with him as he gripped the taller man's shoulder firmly. Sam looked lost when he stared at him, tears finally falling, "Everything's gonna be ok."

The younger hunter shook his head, the question that had been weighing on him so heavily ever since all of this began finally voicing itself. "What'll happen to us, Gabe?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper. "I can't live forever, and I don't want to. I don't want to watch everyone I love get old and die while I'm still here."

Gabriel's eyes softened as he realized what Sam was so worried about. If their life forces were tied together, then they would die when the other died, be that Sam or himself. It was a waiting game of uncertainty, like being attached to a conjoined twin. No matter what you did, you did it with the other person. He remembers the legends in heaven, that Enoch's descendant lived to be 2,000 years old and eventually entered heaven when he angel he was bonded to had to go back. But Sam didn't want to be immortal, didn't want to have an angel's life. He wasn't supposed to, he was a human. He wanted a human life. _And I'll be damned, he deserves it, too,_ the archangel thought, pursing his lips. "That's not what'll happen to you, I promise." He assured gently, resting his hand on Sam's. "You're gonna live a nice, long life with your friends and family, your pain in the ass brother," Sam chuckled at that, "and when the time comes, I bet you'll die at a ripe old age, with a wife and kids, the whole shabang."

Sam smiled wetly, hazel eyes sad as he looked at his angel. "But what about you?" He asked.

Gabriel scoffed, smirking at Sam. "What about me?" He questioned, folding his arms, "I'm not going anywhere- I'll be robbing Dean blind at poker and helping you do whatever it is you want to. Hell, maybe I'll even get a job… you think NASA is still hiring astronauts?"

"Gabe, I'm serious!" Sam exclaimed.

"So am I, you know how many girls I'll get if I can say I went to space?"

"Gabriel," Sam said solemnly, "you're an _archangel._ You don't age, you can literally live forever. I got another forty, fifty years at best. You have another _billion._ You can't throw that away because of me! If I die at a normal age, you'll die, too, having been cut short by an eternity."

Gabriel smiled wistfully, leaning back on the couch with his arms crossed. The amount of wisdom in those whisky eyes still took Sam's breath away, the sheer volume of experience and knowledge. "I've been around for a long, _long_ time, kiddo." He said softly, smiling at Sam, "I've seen the first dinosaur crawl on land and the first fire started by humans. You're right, I _can_ live another infinite amount of eternities… But time loses its meaning when you don't have someone to share it with, someone to stick around for."

Sam huffed a breath, looking away. "You're just saying that," he mumbled.

There was a long pause between the two of them before Gabriel shifted, turning to look Sam dead in the eyes. The hunter paused his self-wallowing, allowed himself to stop feeling guilty for a second because he wanted to hear what Gabe was saying. He looked at him curiously, lips unable to form words.

"Let me tell you something _true,"_ he said, grabbing at Sam's soul with his grace, "something you don't have to wonder whether it's a trick or not. You believe I'm being truthful here?" He asked, and Sam searched and searched, but he couldn't find a trace of dishonesty in those eyes. Gabriel's grace was solid against his soul, unwavering. He nodded, seeing the angel was being truthful.

"The past few weeks that I've gotten to know you, the time I've had to spend with you, have been better than the last _thirteen billion years_ I've had without you. One minute with you, Sam Winchester, is worth more than ten thousand years of being treated like a king and getting to do whatever I wanted." He said, not hesitating once.

Sam didn't trust his voice to speak, which was just fine because his throat was too swollen with emotion to make a sound, anyway. He looked at Gabe in awe, allowing himself to be wonderstruck for just one moment. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, like a heavy rock he'd been carrying for ages had disappeared. This being, this literal extension of God, _loved_ him. Out of billions of years and billions of people, he chose _him._ He seriously chose him.

"But what if the world needs you again?" He somehow managed to choke out, words leaving his mouth without permission, "What if people need your help? You'll be stuck with me."

Gabriel smiled that smile of ethereal wisdom, that look of _peace_ in his eyes contagious. "Sammich, there's no one else I'd rather be stuck with… And hey, if something happens down the road, we'll take care of it. We'll find a way." He said softly. His words were so sure, and although Sam had learned the hard way that talk was cheap and actions were worth more, he couldn't help but put his faith in what Gabriel had said.

Sam was glad Dean wasn't there to see the fat teardrops rolling down his cheeks, otherwise he'd never let him live it down. "You're sure this is what you want?" Sam asked again, "You'd rather spend the next eternity here on earth and with me than in paradise? The garden of eden or something?"

Gabriel laughed at that, a genuine _laugh._ His voice was light and his eyes shined as he looked at Sam with a hint of amusement. "Sammy, the garden of eden isn't a place," he chuckled at Sam's brief confused look, "people always get confused with that. It was never an actual garden. It's wherever my dad is. It's wherever there's love."

The younger hunter's eyes widened, and he knew he probably looked like a 6'4 goldfish with his mouth opening and closing so much. But he didn't care. And suddenly, nothing else mattered. The future didn't matter, the past didn't matter… all that mattered was that single moment, that one second of understanding. Sam couldn't explain how, but he _understood._ Adam and Eve were in paradise because they were _loved so much._ And hell was so torturous because it completely lacked love. So many things that were unclear to him before became visible. He just let the feeling wash over him like a wave breaking on the sand, and launched himself into Gabriel's arms.

"I love you and your family," Gabriel hummed into his hair gently, "and I will never let anything happen to it."

Somehow, Sam knew that when Gabe said 'family', he meant all of humanity.


	17. Chapter 17

Sam and Gabriel slept deep and dreamlessly that night, both recovering from the traumatic events that had rocked their day. There was a bed upstairs, but the couch seemed extremely inviting when a wave of tiredness consumed them both. Sam's consciousness kept reminding him of what a 'chick flick moment' it was until he fell asleep, just imagining what someone would think if they beheld the sight of the smaller archangel wrapped around the mighty hunter like an octopus. Gabriel had unconsciously shifted into his true form sometime during the night, wrapping Sam up against his chest in a cocoon of feathers. He was vaguely surprised just how small the 6'4" hunter felt against the frame of his wings, cradled like a sleeping baby. Neither of them woke up once as the wind howled outside, and the older house shook and shuddered with it.

Gabriel's new wing had physically manifested the morning they woke up, unfurling from his shoulder like a dewy new plant. They had both laughed for a solid five minutes after seeing that it hadn't grown back the same color, leaving Gabriel with 5 matching wings and one strange one. It was just as strong and capable as the others, Sam had felt it beneath his fingertips, just as large and beautiful. But unlike the other amber colored appendages, this one was a bright, platinum blonde. It was nearly white, it was so blonde. It shimmered silver in the light, and the liquid-like vibrations of Gabriel's grace pulsed steadily beneath it. " _It's almost the same color Luci's were,"_ Gabriel had said in reminiscence, admiring it fondly in the mirror, " _before he fell, I mean. He had the most beautiful wings out of all of us."_

Sam was still uneasy whenever Gabriel mentioned Lucifer, despite the knowledge that the Lucifer Gabe used to know was completely different than the monster haunting them now. He supposed it's because the person Gabe adored so much, the 'morningstar', was someone he'd never even met. He didn't know this magnificent, mighty older brother. He could only hope that Lucifer had once been as important to Gabriel as Dean was to him.

Dean… Just thinking about him made Sam's stomach roll as they prepared to leave that morning. He'd be pissed, that was for sure. Sam didn't even bat an eye of doubt at that. He had a right to be, of course. He'd broken their promise of doing everything together. He found it funny that it didn't even matter he'd broken it to save Dean's life- it remained broken, all the same.

A part of Sam wanted to ride back to his family in blazing glory, perched atop a version of the dragon that they could actually see. He wanted to watch as their jaws dropped in amazement, wanted to see them marvel and be _proud_ of him as he showed them the spear he'd used to kill the being that would have destroyed their world. Maybe if he returned in that way, they'd forget about rejecting him. Maybe they'd drop their anger in favor of pride, cheering at the overwhelming accomplishment they'd managed to complete. But the young hunter knew better than that. Nothing he did would make up for the worry and pain he caused them, the betrayal of trust he committed. And while he knew it was unrealistic, a small voice inside his head kept chanting the question he'd kept asking himself since he left for Stanford. _What if this is the last straw? You've already pushed Dean so much with your stupid mistakes and your selfishness. He has more than enough of a reason to leave you behind. This could be the final straw._

"You ready, kiddo?" Gabe asked, absentmindedly re-spray painting a warding sigil that they'd blasted during one of their 'practice' sessions.

"I'm nervous." Sam choked out, the only pathetic words he could muster.

Gabriel scoffed, tossing the empty paint can to the floor, "Yeah, me too. You know how much fun Cassie's gonna poke at me for having mismatching wings? I look like a walking version of 'where's waldo'. I'm gonna have to think of something _really_ big to distract them enough to leave me alone."

Sam glared at him half-heartedly, wringing his hands together. "Will you knock it off? Dean is going to kill me. Don't you have any celestial wisdom to help with stuff like this?"

Gabriel huffed a humorless laugh, folding his arms at that. "We'll have to face them eventually… Unless you wanna live the rest of your life in Iceland. Which, by the way, would not be a bad choice. Did you know they have one of the lowest crime rates in the world? Cops don't even carry guns here!"

Sam rolled his eyes with a groan, burying his face in his hands. "Yeah, ok, just… Beam us home, will you, Scotty?"

"Your wish is my command, Sammich." Gabriel answered and snapped his fingers.

* * *

They arrived in Sam's bedroom at the bunker, the room looking exactly the way the hunter had left it. Sam took a deep breath, trying to calm his thundering nerves. _God, why is this so hard?_ He thought to himself, _We weren't even gone that long! What, 3 days? Dean's left me behind for hunts way longer than that!_ But then again, Dean never left with no traceable evidence and a note that stated he was going off on a possible suicide mission to kill one of the strongest beings in creation in an alternate dimension.

"You want me to do the whole 'pillar of salt thing' if Dean gives you a rough time?" Gabriel asked from behind him, "I can do it, Dad showed me how."  
Sam shushed him loudly, not wanting to alert anyone of their presence yet. "Shhh! No, geez, just… Just let me do the talking, ok?"

Gabriel shrugged, following faithfully behind as Sam walked cautiously into the war room. He could hear voices coming from down the hall, faint whispers that he recognized belonging to Mary. The sound of a gun cocking behind him was even less scary than what he heard next: Dean's voice.

"Who are you? Turn the hell around and put your hands up," Dean's gruff voice demanded, cold as stone.

Sam swallowed thickly and obeyed, walking out of the shadows and into the light. He almost, _almost_ gasped at the sight of his brother. Dean's face was drawn tight with worry lines, his eyes exhausted. There were dark circles under them which clearly showed that he hadn't slept well in days. He looked older to his brother, like he'd somehow grown in the three days they were apart. When he saw that it was Sam, his eyes widened and he tossed the gun down.

"Sammy?" He asked in disbelief, voice rough as the cold stoicness fell from his face.

"Dean," Sam breathed, giving his brother no time to fit a word in, "I-I brought you this," he said quickly, showing him the spear that was still wet with the blood of Michael. He set it down on the table in front of him, "it's proof that Michael's dead. I used the archangel blade and killed him."

Dean opened his mouth to speak, but Sam was lost in his nerves now, desperate to delay the words of anger and rejection he was sure his brother would speak. Anything to give him just a little more time, just a second more to keep being his brother. "And this!" Sam added in a trembling voice, withdrawing the small bowl of the remaining rift ingredients from his jacket, "So that you can know the rift will never be opened again. W-We sealed it off, Gabriel and I. T-These are the last of the ingredients. We can burn them, make sure no one ever sees the spell again… It's evidence, so that if you," Sam swallowed thickly, "if you don't want me around anymore, you'll at least have the peace of mind that I was telling the truth."

Dean didn't speak for a moment, staring dumbfoundedly at Sam's bowed head. His younger brother couldn't even look at him, he was so ashamed. All of his words of anger and frustration died on his lips when he saw Sam like that. He was shaking, as if he was afraid of something. _Afraid of me,_ Dean realized in distress, suddenly understanding everything. Sam was afraid that he'd send him away. Dean wanted to be at least a little bit angry, wanted to scold Sam for everything he'd done to them. He'd even planned a fucking speech out! In between the time he'd spent the last few days worrying himself sick, throwing up after his mother read the note Sam put on her bedside table with a quivering voice. He hadn't slept a single minute since his little brother left, a horrorshow of possibilities parading through his mind at what could've happened to Sam. He and Cas spent every waking hour trying to track them down, frantically attempting to figure out why they couldn't get a signal on Gabriel. Even Cas's normally stoic face had paled at that, not knowing why he couldn't detect his brother's presence. On the third day, Dean had silently concluded to himself that Sam must've been dead. There was no other way. They would have heard something by now, if not from Sam or Gabriel, than from another supernatural being. The rift was closed, and both Cas and Jack searched the planet for another opening. There were none. Sam and Gabriel must have sealed the danger away for good, but sacrificed themselves in the process. He'd started grieving the moment the thought registered his mind. His Sammy was dead, gone forever… he didn't even have a body to burn, a proper goodbye to say.

But here Sam was, alive and seemingly well. He was _alive,_ still breathing after saving them all from a destruction they didn't even know was imminent. And he returned with the thought that Dean wouldn't want him around anymore.

Dean suddenly moved to close the small space between them, enveloping Sam in a fierce embrace. He had to know, had to make sure Sam was healthy and whole.

The younger hunter tensed, shocked by the contact. He knew better than to think his brother wasn't mad, but… his brain didn't know what to do with itself, overwhelmed by results it was not expected. He expected Dean to rage and shout, not to _hug_ him. Hesitantly embracing him back, Sam put his hands on his brother's shoulders.

"I'm never gonna get rid of you, Sammy." Dean said roughly against Sam's neck, words spoken in a voice so low that Sam strained to hear it. "We thought you were dead."

Sam closed his eyes in relief at the words, leaning into his older brother's embrace, breathing in the scent of home, the only one he'd ever known. "So, you're not mad?" Sam asked apprehensively as they pulled away, daring to look Dean in the eyes.

The older hunter stared back at him, his thoughts clearly reflected in his expression. _You know I would've done the same thing if it was me,_ his eyes said, a silent fact that they shared with each other. It was true- no matter how much it hurt losing the other, the brothers would never stop taking any opportunity they could to save the other. It just wasn't in them. And despite the fact that they'd get furious at each other over this, they both knew they'd never change. It wasn't betrayal like Sam had originally thought- it was love.

Dean huffed a small laugh of amazement, looking up at his younger brother, settling for six simple words. "You're a piece of work, Winchester." He muttered, his voice sounding so much like their father in that moment. Sometimes it freaked Sam out, how similar Dean was to John. The way he moved, the way he walked, some of the things he said… there were fleeting moments when Sam had to wonder if some small part of their father's spirit stayed behind to reside in Dean.

"Sam, you're alive!" A voice exclaimed from behind them, causing them both to turn around and see Mary standing in the doorway, a relieved smile on her face.

"Hey, Mom," he smiled back, still getting to know this woman he'd never met before Dean brought her back into their lives.

Mary rushed down the three steps and embraced her youngest son, grasping him firmly by the shoulders. "What the hell were you thinking?" She demanded, staring up at him with scolding blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Sam apologized, "I had to. But we did it, we killed Michael. We sealed off the other world, nothing from there can ever hurt us."

Mary quirked the corner of her lips reluctantly, obviously happy and proud of her son but unsure of whether she should interrupt her reprimanding to let him know that. Before she could reply, however, her eyes flicked up and she caught sight of Gabriel, standing to the side and watching the reunion happily.

She let go of Sam, moving swiftly towards the archangel. _Oh, god, she's gonna kill him,_ Sam thought worriedly, watching as she walked with an unreadable expression on her face. None of this was Gabe's fault, he just had to sit them all down and explain that. "Mom, don't, it's not his-" Sam started to intervene, thinking the worst. Mary did have a great right hook. That's why he was so surprised when she grabbed the angel in a tight hug, holding him close.

Both the Winchester boys and Gabriel himself watched with wide eyes and shock as Mary embraced him. She took his face in her hands, staring at him with a look of pure emotion and maternal instinct. "Thank you," she whispered fiercely, "as a mother, thank you for protecting my son."

Gabriel found himself speechless for a moment, mouth dry as he was confronted with such _profound_ gratitude and respect. He didn't know what to say, feeling like squirming under the woman's gaze. He hardly felt worthy of such emotion- afterall, it was _Sam_ who actually killed Michael, not the other way around. But maternal love was such an ancient one, such a primal feeling that Gabriel soon found himself connected to it in a way he never knew he could be. _Don't be afraid, woman,_ he spoke to her briefly through their thoughts, staring her straight in the eyes as he spoke, _your child will never not be loved and protected._

Mary smiled, not needing to speak. It was the greatest gift someone could give a mother, an unbreakable promise that their child would always be cared for, even when they were no longer around.

Their moment was interrupted, however, when Dean's eyes grew impossibly wide as he remembered. "Oh, shit, Cas!" He exclaimed, "He's still gone with Jack! I gotta call them and let them know you're here!"

Sam furrowed his brows. "Gone? What, were they out searching for us?" He asked.

"No, not this time," Dean answered, looking at Sam solemnly, "they're looking for Lucifer."


	18. Chapter 18

"What?!" Sam nearly choked at the words, not quite believing Dean the first time. Gabriel's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he schooled his expression again, face deadpan.

"Well, that's a punch to the nuts. Where's the bar?" He asked absently, heading for Dean's whiskey stash, Sam only able to roll his eyes for a moment before going back to trying to wrap his brain around what Dean had just said.

"The douchebag hitched a ride with us back," Dean muttered angrily, "disappeared before we could notice and push him back. The only reason we even found out he made it here was Cas's angel mojo. He sensed him the morning after you left."

Sam sputtered dumbly, not wanting to believe what was being said. They had just defeated the Other Michael, one of the most powerful beings in the universe(s), and now they had to deal with another one? None of this was supposed to happen, they were supposed to have left him there! He was supposed to be sealed away! A deadweight feeling of failure settled over the younger hunter, taunting him with the cruel irony of how they'd celebrated only moments ago.

"Sammy, it's not your fault man, ok? None of us could've known. We'll take care of this like we do everything else." Dean stated firmly, the look on Sam's face being more obvious than the young hunter thought.

Sam shook his head, sitting down in one of the chairs at the war room map table. "I thought we actually did it… I thought we could actually help." He sighed.

Dean balked at that, looking at his brother like he'd sprouted three heads. "Help?" He exclaimed, "Dude, you took out the guy who turned the other world into the dead rock it was, you _saved_ our world from _that!_ I'll be damned if that's not fucking help!"

The corner of Sam's lips quirked up slightly at that, the praise not failing to reach him, even now. Somehow, his older brother's approval felt even better than Chuck's, like what Dean thought of him mattered more than what _God_ thought of him. That idea in itself tended to disturb Sam if he dwelled on it too much. "Have they at least been in contact with you?" He asked, hoping Cas hadn't gone off with Jack on another one of his 'solo' missions.

"Yeah," Dean replied, flipping out his cellphone at the mention and scrolling through his inbox for messages, "he actually has. They're in Stillwater right now, Cas thought he felt a signal from there."

"They're not going to… take him on, are they?" Sam asked nervously, not even knowing how the two would manage to kill Lucifer if the archangel blade was here with them.

"Hell no," The older hunter answered, "I told him I'd beat his ass if they even tried. I just told them you're back, they should be getting here-"

"Sam, you've returned!" A voice cried from behind them, and the Winchesters turned to see Cas and Jack in the doorway.

"Right about now." Dean finished absently, relieved to see them back.

Sam smiled at the young nephilim, who hugged him tightly with a grin. "I knew you'd make it back." Jack said confidently, that sense of sureness in his voice never failing to make its appearance. The kid sounded so certain of everything he said, no matter what it was. Sometimes Sam didn't know if it was just because he was young, or if he actually had some ability to see things they weren't aware of.

"Hello, Sam." Cas said in his gravelly voice, a rare smile making its way onto his normally stoic face. The two of them never really needed words to express their emotions towards each other- contrary to what everyone else thought, it wasn't just Cas and Dean who had the 'profound bond'. Sam and him had their own sort of connection, one built of mutual respect and camaraderie love that had only gotten stronger over the years. The words 'Hello, Sam' were so much more than just a greeting. They both knew that.

"Hey, Cas." Sam replied genuinely, giving him a warm smile. He knew he'd never really have to worry about Dean as long as the angel was around- it gave him a sense of comfort that was invaluable.

Castiel suddenly frowned, eyebrows knitting in concern. "Where is my brother?" He asked, obviously beginning to fear the worst.

"What up, Cassie?" Gabriel murmured, appearing next to Sam with a bottle of Jack Daniel's in his hand.

"Is that my scotch?" Dean asked, pointedly annoyed.

"I'm glad you're alright." Cas said sincerely, always having an almost imperceptible soft spot for Gabriel. Anyone who knew him well would know that Gabe was the only one of his siblings he felt comfortable with, the only one he would trust.

But Sam had never seen Gabe express any type of affection towards his siblings aside from the memories he had of Lucifer before the fall. That's why, when the young hunter felt Gabriel's grace reach out and envelope Cas's protectively, it nearly took his breath away. He'd never witnessed love between two angels before- it was only ever fighting and betrayal or emotionless soldiering. This was definitely something different, something beautiful.

Sam could see their similarities, not with his eyes but with his soul as he felt their grace hold each other. He could sense the sameness in some of their energy levels, the resemblance in the way their grace pulsated and gave off waves. He realized absently that that was probably their true forms physical similarities manifested in grace- in other words, Cas looked a lot like his older brother. Sam wanted to know what Cas looked like, so he could see for himself just what was the same, but for now he was content to feel the happiness and love being reciprocated between the two. Cas's grace was chirping contentedly, nuzzling up against the archangel's like an eager puppy. Had they always loved each other this much? Had he and Dean just been blind to it? Before the grace bond, Sam would've had no qualms believing that angels were incapable of feeling, that they didn't have individual personalities or opinions or traits. Now, his eyes were opened to just how wrong that was.

"Me you too, little bro." Gabe replied with a small smile, and Sam marveled at how they'd just expressed so much love without even moving an inch.

"So, what'd you find, Cas?" Dean asked, snatching the bottle from Gabriel's hand and earning a scowl from the archangel.

"Lucifer is weak," Cas said plainly, "he is looking for other angels to steal power from. The more grace he consumes, the stronger he becomes."

Dean nodded contemplatively, raising an eyebrow at the angel. "Ok… So, why don't we just take him out now? If he's powered down, it should be easier, right?" He prompted.

Cas sighed, shaking his head dismissively. "It is not that simple," he said, "there is a major risk. If Lucifer gets any of Jack's grace, even the smallest amount, he'd become nearly unstoppable."

Sam furrowed his brows in concern. "What are you talking about? Jack's only half archangel." He said.

"Nephilim grace is very potent," Cas explained, "Jack has more power than we know. We have to keep him away from Lucifer at all costs."

Dean opened his mouth to say how they'd never let Jack get taken in by the devil, no matter how enamoured the boy was with his father, when the door to the bunker burst open.

"It's about bloody time, Samuel!" Rowena exclaimed, strolling into the room with a large book under her arm, "I was starting to think your brother would lose his wee head over ya. So, how was your boys little romantic getaway?" She peered at Gabriel seductively, causing the archangel to widen his eyes at the implication.

Sam huffed a humorless laugh, not quite knowing what to make of the witch. She'd been on both sides so to speak, trying to kill them and trying to save them. But as time passed, and when Sam witnessed her spare him at the hands of death, he realized she wasn't an evil person. She wasn't good by any means, but her soul wasn't evil. Not by a long shot. "For the last time, it wasn't a 'romantic' getaway." He muttered, trying not to let his blushing face show that much.

" _Sure,_ it wasn't," She drawled, patronizing, "my apologies, dear."

Dean glared at the redhead, folding his arms as she set the gigantic book down on the table with a heavy thud. "Where have you been and what the hell is that?" He asked.

Rowena pouted sassily, tapping her perfectly manicured nails on the table. "Now, is that any way to talk to the lass who went off to find an answer to your problems?" She scolded.

"What is this?" Jack asked curiously, resting his palm over the leather cover of the dusty, titleless book.

"This," Rowena said proudly, "is a genuine guide to all of the devils weaknesses. From roofies to how to kill the bastard."

Sam flipped the book open diligently while Dean looked on doubtfully. The pages were all written in enochian, but Sam only realized that after reading a paragraph in. He'd forgotten his ability to read the angelic script, so to him the words came as easily as English. They were lists, really, rather than sentences. Iron stakes, holy fire, positions and philosophies used throughout centuries to trap or incapacitate Lucifer. Most of the methods Sam had never even heard of, let alone tried.

"She's right," Sam breathed, "its real."

Dean tried not to let his surprise show, looking up at the witch skeptically. "Rowena, where did you get this?" He demanded, slightly afraid to hear the answer. He knew his younger brother trusted the witch in a way, but Dean was still wary of her. He knew she'd kill to get what she wanted, but he didn't care about that when they'd sent her out to find help after Sam and Gabriel went missing and Cas revealed that Lucifer had made it back. She'd been gone up until now, and they hadn't heard a peep of her since.

"Oh, let's just say a couple of amateurs in Germany owed me a favor and I took them up on it." She answered ominously, lip curling in disgust as she thought of them. "They were horrible, absolutely dreadful witches. And they had the nerve to summon me? Ha! They'd be lucky to last two minutes in the coven." She muttered, referring to her time spent with the infamous witches of Scotland hundreds of years ago.

"This book will help us kill my father?" Jack asked, his face twisting with a mix of emotions, none of them good. Sam felt his heart ache for the boy- he still didn't understand.

"Jack-" Cas started, but the young boy cut him off.

"But I don't even know him yet!" He exclaimed, eyes narrowed at Castiel.

"You don't _want_ to know him, he's satan!" Dean barked, "The sooner you get that through your head, the better!"

Sam winced internally, grimacing at his older brother's style of dealing with conflict: intimidation. It was all Dean knew, growing up with John Winchester as a parent, but it was far from the best way to deal with things. And the relationship between Jack and Dean had been rocky since the beginning, when the raw pain of Cas's death caused him to lash out at the young boy. Sam knew his brother could never really hate anyone he'd just met, knew it was the pain and anger talking over his character. But that didn't stop Jack and him from butting heads.

"You _said_ you'd give us a chance to talk!" Jack shot back, and Gabriel couldn't help but smirk at the surprised look on the older Winchester's face. He wasn't used to being challenged or pushed this far. Normally his rough exterior was enough to scare people off, but Jack wasn't budging.

"Yeah, and you talked, end of story. You can't-"

"It is NOT the end!" Jack shouted, and the lights of the bunker flickered on and off as his anger reverberated through the room. Everyone was silent, staring in a mixture of shock and worry at the two. "He is my father." Jack said firmly, "I won't let you kill him."

A weight that was so heavy it was suffocating settled over the room. Sam swallowed thickly, feeling Gabriel's grace hum in apprehension. The archangel had subconsciously stood protectively in front of Sam when the conflict started, smaller form ready to shield him. No one dared to speak until Cas raised his voice.

"Jack," he said calmly, "we are your family. We've honored your mother's wishes, we've protected you-"

"You have," Jack said, looking earnestly at Castiel. Then he turned to Dean, and his gaze _changed._ He was apathetic, cold as he inched towards the older Winchester, "But you," he murmured to Dean, eyes trained on the hunter's, "you never liked me." He whispered icily, in a tone that made Sam shiver. Even Cas looked disturbed as Jack stared Dean down, standing so they were eye to eye. "And you know what?" He asked flatly, leaning and whispering the words so that only Dean could hear them, "I've never liked you."

Then there was a flap of wings, and the nephilim was gone. The room was still in shock and Dean stood frozen in place, a churning mixture of guilt and fear and anger raging within him.

"He won't give Luci any grace," Gabriel broke the silence in an attempt to calm them all, "he doesn't trust him that much yet. I could feel it. We have time, but not a lot."

Sam looked at his brother in concern, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You ok?" He asked, his firm grasp bringing Dean back to reality. Sam hadn't heard the words Jack had spoken to Dean, but whatever they were, they must've been big. Not very many things could leave the Winchester speechless and breathless.


End file.
